Hannah’s Foundation was founded after the tragic drowning of toddler Hannah Plint aged 34 months. The Foundation advocates for Water Safety nationally in Australia and supports Families who have experienced a water tragedy.
Channel 7 Michael Coombes did our first ever story on the 23rd March 2008. We thank the QLD Media for their constant support of Hannah’s Foundation. Thanks to Patron Bob Atkinson and Director Adam Reid who also featured in the article.
The History and Journey so far:
Our Purple Princess: Hannah was born on the 10th December 2004. The fourth child for Andrew and Kat Plint, Hannah excelled at everything she did. Born prematurely at 34 weeks Hannah achieved all her milestones and beyond. She walked and talked early, wrote her name at 15 months, read the alphabet, could count to 50 and wanted to be a “baby doctor” when she grew up. Everyone who met Hannah was deeply touched by our very special little girl. At the time of her tragedy she was attending Little Aussies Preschool class in Laidley, she was only two years of age.
Sadly, Hannah would never grow up. On 4th October 2007, Hannah drowned in the backyard family swimming pool. Whilst her mother changed her little brother’s nappy, Hannah managed to carry a plastic chair and used it to open the pool gate and gain entry to the pool located on the decking verandah of their Queenslander styled house. She was out of Kat’s sight for less than two minutes. Everything that day Failed. Sadly Hannah’s story is all too common.
In the days and weeks after Hannah’s death, Hannah’s distraught parents asked HOW could this happen? They soon learned that the pool was illegally built (prior to their owning the property), the builder had not been appropriately licensed and that council had attended their property during the construction over 11 years and never once enforced the legislation that had been in existence since 1991. During the Coronial Inquest, it was ascertained that the decking on their house was an illegal structure and contributed to Hannah’s death. Why and how could an illegally built house be sold? Why didn’t anyone tell us the pool was illegal?
After their family was torn apart by the tragic loss of Hannah, the family faced yet another possible tragedy. The publicity and stigma to Hannah’s death, the local country town rumours and the family not having the direct access to support services within the rural region and the police investigation took its toll on Katherine. In November 2007 only six weeks after Hannah’s death, Katherine ended up in ICU fighting for her life after a suicide attempt that nearly claimed her life. This is when the decision was made to form Hannah’s Foundation. No parent should endure the agony of losing their child, but no family should be tormented like we were either and by raising awareness and changing the public perception and the stigma to drowning tragedies it will lead to more support for families to avoid further tragedies to families. The first media article in December 2007 changed the direction of our grief. It was now on public display. The question does still remain ‘was it too soon?’
As we discovered in our research for answers, for years Coroners across Queensland had been recommending changes to legislation which would have identified and possibly prevented Hannah’s and other children’s deaths by drowning. The anger felt during this process was immeasurable. They were shocked to learn that at least 35 children have lost their lives due to flawed legislation in Queensland and many more around Australia. The campaign for Summer Safety with the Sunday Mail, reporters Sam Healy and Sarah Vogler in 2008 sparked enormous support from the brave Parents who shared their Public stories.
The campaign also drew some negative public feedback but on the 14th December 2008, the day before Hannah Plint’s coronial inquest, the Queensland Premier The Honourable Anna Bligh announced that her government would see an overhaul to Pool Safety legislation. Hannah’s Inquest in 2008 raised the bar again, before Coroner Kay Ryan recommendations and findings again were provided to the Qld State Government for legislative change. The Tognola Family in Townsville, Senior Sergeant Michelle Dodds (who was the Coronial Advocate for Philip Tognola’s inquest in 2005) were the guiding forces behind the fight for “Hannah’s Legacy” in Qld.
In April 2009 saw the first public review and comments on the Pool Safety Review and on the 5th July 2010 the Qld State Parliament passed new legislation Building and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) to prevent child deaths in backyard pools again the final on the Building and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) (BOLA2) on 15 September 2010. “Hannah’s Legacy” was enforced in 1st December 2010. Every pool in Qld must adhere to ONE SPECIFIC RULE, all rules are the same and compliance for rentals, shared pools is now compulsory.
Kat Plint recalls that week – “The overwhelming feeling sitting in parliament that night cannot be described into words. Watching the legislation unfold into parliamentary speeches of support and hearing Hannah’s name constantly mentioned as well as our own and other families was, for me, too much. Whilst I sobbed in the gallery, in front of media, both my husband and I were seeing our raw personal efforts come to a reality. There were moments when I had to pinch myself to ensure this wasn’t just another dream.
We gave this fight five years to achieve on our bucket list when we started Hannah’s Foundation. Many doubted we would achieve anything at all. Here we were only just two weeks short off Hannah’s third anniversary.
Elated with relief, consumed by grief and the endless support we had that week was spent in tears continually. Members of Parliament ringing us to see if we were “okay” and every time just breaking down in tears thanking them for their efforts.
Knowing that what we had fought so hard for was now the benchmark to saving lives across Queensland, are wonderful state. The dream for Hannah’s death not to be in vain was now a reality. No parent had ever fought so hard and so publicly like us before.
We were told to retreat into our grief privately, were sent threats against our family during the campaign and publicly in the media others that don’t live our life would crucify us and other parents for being the one responsible not laws. The media were great to our family and the support was enormously positive. Others just made up horrible accusations about ourselves and the organisation we fought so hard to build. It says more about them than it does about us because nothing has ever been founded in any allegation against us. We are not rich personally and put everything we had into it. We have stood tall for Hannah over the past four and a half years and will continually advocate for what is right for the safety of all children. I don’t regret ever doing what we did in those early days but do wish we had more time to grieve in private.
We are truly indebted for the constant support from The Honourable Anna Bligh, Premier of Qld, The Honourable Stirling Hinchcliffe, Minister for Infrastructure and Planning and their staff for their roles in changing Pool Safety in Qld.”
Across Australia Hannah’s Foundation to date is heading many campaigns about Water Safety and Education. Hannah’s Foundation was never just about Hannah or our story it’s about the families who continually join this journey and courageously share their lives and their tragic losses. It’s also truly about prevention and messages about Water and Pool safety in Australia. Over 300 people are killed every year to drowning and nearly triple that are injured.
‘With our family support services, we help those left behind with their feelings and to talk about their loss.
Andrew Plint, Founding Director said ‘It’s a hard conversation to have when you’re going through it yourself, but it’s all we have in our country. We provide financial support to families who are struggling going back to work, helping the kids with school work and peer-to-peer support which is crucial when you are struggling on the darker days.’
Kat Plint, Full Time Executive Officer (volunteer) says “the Foundation provides information to families on professional support services in their areas, we negotiate fees so that families can obtain assistance professionally but without the high costs at such time when grief is just consuming. Many families cannot afford to see professionals so that’s why Peer Support is so important. We had nothing like this when Hannah died and it was important to us to find parents like us so that we can share our journey and that’s the benefit of Peer Support Services, knowing you are not alone.”
Andrew Plint said “A hidden cost to society is the alcohol and other substance abuse, even suicide, domestic violence of parents who have lost children; Hannah’s Foundation seeks to address this. Many families over the last four years since 2008 have been able to access Professional Programs through Hannah’s Foundation as well as utilise the Peer Support facilities set up in every state. Somewhere in your area is someone like you and many of the families that have sadly experienced a loss or injury are only too happy to help the next.”
“We work quite closely with many families to publicly raise awareness to water tragedies and there is no cure for drowning only prevention”
“Drowning doesn’t discriminate and sadly we see everyday many people losing their lives which could have been preventable”
“We are proud that for the last four years Hannah’s Foundation has been the leading charitable organisation and advocacy group raising the bar for Public Education to Water Safety. Kat and I participated with the Qld Government Pool Safety Campaign in 2009 and that campaign to date (4th April 2012) has reduced backyard pool drownings along with changes to the legislation making pool fencing compulsory, pool owners obtaining certification by Qualified Pool Safety Inspectors and constant Public awareness messages. One life in the last 12 months is still too many in Qld. Our aim is to have ZERO drownings across Australia and have water safety as a more public discussed topic” He said.
This is our journey so far and Hannah’s Foundation continues to advocate for families and water safety education to reduce drowning tragedies across Australia.
Andrew Plint, father, Qld Police Officer and Founding Director
Katherine Plint, mother, Author, Coronial Advocate, Executive Officer (charity volunteer)
