Arrow’s board members pictured L to R: Stuart Snell, Kim Mouret, Yvonne Panek-Hudson, Richelle Koller (CEO), David Maywald, Chris Murray, Roberto Trinchero

Last week, we gathered for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2024 at our rooms in Chippendale headquarters, and what a fabulous night it was! We were thrilled to have the opportunity to reflect on the incredible progress we’ve made over the past year, with plenty to celebrate.

Several board positions were up for re-election, and we are pleased to announce the reappointment of Christopher Murray as Chair, alongside David Maywald, Roberto Trinchero, Kim Mouret, and Yvonne Panek-Hudson. Their continued leadership is invaluable as we move forward.

During the meeting, Chris Murray gave an overview of Arrow’s achievements, highlighting the strides we’ve made in patient support, healthcare professional education and research. We have given financial assistance to 451 stem cell transplant patients, and we’ve launched 2 new patient programs including a patient-to-patient support group. We’ve helped 11 health care professionals improve their knowledge and skills in the area of bone marrow and stem cell transplant care, and we’ve put $93,000 into ground-breaking medical research. It has truly been an impactful year for Arrow and those we serve.

One of the standout moments was hearing from Lyndell Wills, the founder of Transplant Tribe, our online patient support group. We also had the privilege of listening to Dr. Michael Ashby, the recipient of our 2024 Arrow PhD scholarship, who shared his groundbreaking research on the relapse of acute myeloid leukaemia following stem cell transplants.

As part of the evening’s proceedings, we also presented our 2024 Annual Report, which is now available on our website, offering a detailed look at the year that was.

A Highlight of the AGM: A Transformative Bequest

This year’s AGM was made even more special by the announcement of a remarkable $3.5 million bequest from the late Anne Robertson, which was given in memory of her niece, Katherine Robertson. Katherine passed away at the age of 26 following a stem cell transplant for acute lymphocytic leukaemia. Anne was Katherine’s stem cell donor and she was devastated when the transplant failed. In a selfless act, Anne decided to leave the proceeds of her estate to Arrow, knowing how important our work was to Katherine. Anne’s donation honours both Katherine’s memory and the strong bond they shared.

The Robertson family expressed their gratitude for Anne’s legacy, with her cousin, Paul Robertson and his wife Lenore, stating, “Anne’s love and sadness at losing Katherine is manifested in her bequest. It’s a fitting full stop to who she was.”

To read more about Katherine and Anne’s story, please visit our website here.

Lenore, Frank. Judith and Paul Robertson

A Transformative Legacy

Anne’s incredibly generous bequest will have a lasting impact on Arrow and those we serve. The donation will allow us to accelerate our efforts, enabling us to support more transplant patients, healthcare professionals, and researchers than ever before. It is an incredible gift that will help us scale our initiatives and continue advancing life-saving work in the field of bone marrow and stem cell transplant care.

Thank you to the Robertson family for their generosity, and to all of you who continue to support Arrow’s mission. Together, we can make an incredible impact, and with your support, we look forward to another impactful year in 2025.