I’m excited to share the latest issue of our Shine Newsletter with you. Since my last update, so many wonderful strides have been made—and none of these would have been possible without your generous, ongoing support. Your kindness is helping to create new
possibilities for so many people.

In this issue, you’ll meet just a few of the people whose lives you’ve helped transform: baby Spencer, who wins hearts wherever he goes; Rhianna and Sam, who reached for the stars at Space Camp; Theo, who addressed MPs at Parliament House; and many more inspiring stories.

These incredible moments are a beautiful reminder of what we can achieve together. Thank you for helping make it possible!
—Chris Rehn, Chief Executive, NextSense

Theo tells MPs how NextSense, early intervention, and his cochlear implant help him shine.

In October six children travelled to Canberra to share with Federal MPs how cochlear implants and early support shaped their lives. Among them was 11-year-old Theo, a NextSense cochlear implant (CI) client who addressed the audience in Parliament House with remarkable confidence.

The children were part of the annual Power of Speech breakfast, hosted by Cochlear Ltd, which celebrates the achievements of young people who are deaf and have learned to listen and speak with support from early intervention including NextSense.

Theo told the audience—including Federal Health Minister Mark Butler—that his cochlear implant and early intervention “didn’t just help me hear, it helped me be heard.” Born profoundly deaf, he received implants at six months old.

With therapy, support, and a nurturing preschool environment with NextSense, he grew into a strong communicator who now thrives in Year 5, and continues to further his acting career with passion.

When Paul and Nicole reached out to share that their local social club had raised more than $8,000 for our Broadmeadow centre, we knew this was support coming straight from the heart.

The two friends are proud members of the Wanderers Old Boys and Gals Social Club and passionate advocates for people with hearing loss. Their connection is deeply personal. Paul, now in his sixties, lives with hearing loss in both ears, and Nicole’s grandson, Spencer, was born deaf. Both Spencer and Paul are supported by the wonderful team at our Broadmeadow centre in the Hunter region.

Spencer’s hearing loss was first identified through newborn screening and confirmed just before the 2024 holiday season. He received his first hearing aids on Christmas Eve. With little experience of hearing loss in the family, Spencer’s mum, Chelsea, says the support and guidance from NextSense made all the difference.

Today, Spencer is thriving with early intervention support from NextSense and will soon receive a cochlear implant to help him experience more of the world of sound. Spencer wins hearts wherever he goes, and his mum, Chelsea, says he tackles every day with confidence.

“It’s very easy to fall in love with him,” says his grandmother Nicole.

Your kindness and that of our supporters like the Wanderers Old Boys and Gals Social Club creates a future filled with possibility for people with hearing and vision loss.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, NextSense students Rhianna and Sam recently joined more than 200 teens with vision loss from around the world at the Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students in Huntsville, Alabama.

From piloting space shuttle simulators to mastering NASA’s multi-axis trainer, the week was packed with incredible hands on experiences that challenged them, built confidence, and inspired dreams beyond what they ever imagined possible.

For Rhianna, the highlight was the gravity chair, simulating the low gravity experienced by Apollo astronauts, while Sam loved testing his balance and coordination on the multi-axis trainer.

Alongside challenging activities, both students made lifelong friendships with peers from Australia, New Zealand, and around the world.

These transformative experiences are only possible because of the generosity of our donors and with your support, we can continue to give students like Rhianna and Sam the chance to aim high, explore their potential, and discover that there are no limits to what they can achieve.

Stephen Kiely, a NextSense cochlear implant recipient and proud donor, has an inspiring story of resilience and rediscovered sound. A lifelong musician, Stephen suddenly lost all hearing in his left ear—an experience that threatened to jeopardise his career as a performer, teacher, songwriter and producer.

After being referred to NextSense, he learned he was a candidate for a cochlear implant and chose to move forward with hope and determination. With support from his audiologist, Maxine, and countless hours of personal practice using training tools designed for cochlear implant users, Stephen slowly retrained his brain to understand sound again.

While the early stages were tough—especially recognising pitch—his persistence paid off. Step by step, he rebuilt his listening skills, allowing him to keep composing, teaching and performing, and continue work on his children’s multimedia project Busy Izzy and Friends with his wife, Roxanne. He credits music— and Roxanne, his “partner in rhyme”—with keeping him motivated during the hardest moments.

This year, Stephen reached a remarkable milestone: he was selected by MED-EL to represent Australia at the international ‘Beats of Cochlea’ Festival in Poland, a music festival for cochlear implant recipients. There, he performed his original song I Don’t Mind the Rain.

His journey is a powerful reminder of what’s possible with perseverance, the right support—and access to lifechanging technology.

We’re incredibly proud to share that Alison Hawkins-Bond, Professional Experience Coordinator at NextSense Institute, has been awarded the Equity in Education Impact Award by Macquarie University.

Alison is a highly respected Teacher of the Deaf with more than 30 years’ experience supporting children with hearing and vision loss, their families, and the professionals who work alongside them. She also teaches in our Master of Disability Studies program, delivered in partnership with Macquarie University.

She received this award for her outstanding work delivering programs that help students from First Nations and low socioeconomic backgrounds explore pathways into STEM and health careers.

Alison says these initiatives were also a “wonderful opportunity to share what NextSense does and inspire the next generation of hearing and vision experts.”

We’re delighted to announce that NextSense Preschool has received a $10,000 grant from Community Bank Epping – Bendigo Bank to enhance our outdoor learning spaces.

Our inclusive preschool supports children who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, who learn alongside their hearing and sighted peers.

The funding will support our Stronger Starts project, helping us create inclusive outdoor environments where children of all abilities can learn, explore, and grow together. New resources—including a climb-on vehicle and other durable wooden play structures, scooters, bikes, and helmets—will enrich play experiences and support every child’s physical development, creativity, and social interaction.

We’re grateful to Community Bank Epping – Bendigo Bank, the only remaining bank in Epping, for its outstanding commitment to giving back—returning 80 per cent of its profits to local organisations like ours.