The young faces behind the Good Friday Appeal house

Two young Geelong girls who have spent years in the care of the Royal Children’s Hospital are hoping their stories will inspire Victorians to dig deep for the 2027 Good Friday Appeal.

For Emily Cooke, 12, and Madison Pearl, nine, the appeal is deeply personal. Between them, they’ve faced brain cancer, multiple rounds of chemotherapy and three open-heart surgeries.

Now the pair have been named ambassadors for the 2027 Good Friday Appeal House at Coridale in Lara and officially launched the project alongside volunteer tradies on Monday.

Emily was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of five and continues to receive treatment at the Royal Children’s Hospital for a rare brain tumour after undergoing three rounds of chemotherapy.

Emily said she hoped sharing her story would encourage people to support the Good Friday Appeal and the hospital that had cared for her throughout her treatment.

“I’ve been involved with the Royal Children’s Hospital for about eight years,” she said.

“All the money is going to go so far in supporting children like me in getting the care that they deserve.”

Maddie was born with a heart condition and underwent her third open-heart surgery in 2025.

She said the support she received from hospital staff had helped ease the fear that came with each procedure.

“The staff have been so supportive of me,” Maddie said.

“They have made me not so scared and have made a huge difference to my life.”

Maddie’s mother, Hannah, said the family had seen first-hand the difference Good Friday Appeal fundraising made.

She said services funded through the appeal helped families navigate some of the most difficult moments of a child’s treatment.

“Maddie had her own experience meeting the CEO of the Good Friday Appeal, and she told us about the money going towards a child-life therapist,” Hannah said.

“Maddie herself was met in the pre-op emergency rooms and talked her through the procedures. It’s a nerve-racking for an eight-year-old facing all of that and the care from the therapist was paramount.”

Hannah said the Royal Children’s Hospital was the only hospital able to provide the specialised care Maddie needed.

“The Royal Children’s Hospital is the only one that can give Maddie the care that she has needed,” she said. “We are so lucky to have it close by.

“We are hoping the build can go a long way in supporting the 2027 Good Friday Appeal.”

The auction home will be built by Henley at Villawood Properties’ Coridale community in Lara, marking the fourth Good Friday Appeal home to be auctioned in the Geelong region.

Previous Geelong auction homes have raised more than $1 million, including a then-record $1.15 million at Armstrong Creek in 2025 and $1.01 million at Coridale in 2023.

Organisers are now hoping the 2027 auction can surpass the current Good Friday Appeal house record of $1.212 million, achieved at Villawood’s Alamora community in Tarneit earlier this year.

Villawood Properties managing director Rory Costelloe said the company hoped the project would inspire the Lara community to support the appeal.

“This colourful door invites the Lara community to step into the project from the outset and be part of a home that carries real heart and significance for children and families across Victoria,” he said.

“We’ve raised $14 million through our involvement with the Good Friday Appeal. We are so proud to be apart of this and feel honoured to be making a difference right here in Lara.”

The 2027 Good Friday Appeal house will be auctioned next year, with proceeds supporting the Royal Children’s Hospital’s care, research and equipment.