Peter Caselin and Dandenong Hospital children’s ward manager Janine Maloney are hoping to paint the ward all colours in an attempt to distract the patients from the unpleasantness of hospital.
By Shaun Inguanzo
PETER Caselin is helping brighten the lives of sick children – but he needs sponsors to help finish the job.
Mr Caselin, 40, is painting the children’s ward at Dandenong Hospital in a bid to distract the young patients from the unpleasantness of hospital visits.
A cartoonist by trade, Mr Caselin is using interior paints to paint walls, archways and fill in space that would otherwise be dull and depressing.
“It was initially my idea. I painted the old ward four or five years ago,” he said.
“When the ward moved, I said I would paint it again.
“I have donated 60 hours of my time to the project and am being paid for the rest.”
Mr Caselin said he was looking for sponsors to pitch in and help finance the project as he needed about $100,000 to paint the rest of the ward.
He said the project was only a third of the way through but had already put smiles on faces.
The challenge, Mr Caselin said, of working in a children’s ward was hearing crying and screaming while trying to paint bubbly, animated characters.
“When you a see patient being wheeled in it hurts your heart,” he said.
“I also hear little kids cry and I feel bad, but there’s nothing I can do.
“It just inspires me to create more distractions through my painting.”
Mr Caselin has urged businesses and individuals to donate funds to the project by calling him on 0412 391 574.
