Beyond the Railway: A Vision of Inclusion That Endures

In 2007, Fred Gibbs, a charter member of Balwyn Rotary and John Keogh, launched the Box Hill Miniature Steam Railway November Family Fun Day for children with disabilities and their families.

Fred’s inspiration came from a very personal observation. His grandson James has Sturge-Weber Syndrome and, because of James’s high needs, Fred recognised that James’s brother Robert risked being overlooked.

This reflected what is now often called “Glass Child Syndrome” - the experience of siblings of children with significant disabilities who can feel unseen or overlooked as so much attention naturally focuses on their brother or sister.

Fred wanted to do something about it.

His vision was to create a genuinely inclusive day - not just for children with disabilities, but for their siblings, parents and carers as well.

To make that vision a reality, Fred brought together five collaborators: Balwyn Rotary, Parents Support Network (now part of Interchange Outer East), the Box Hill Miniature Steam Railway Society, Bendigo Bank Inner East, and Noel Jones (Balwyn).

Nineteen years later, four of those five original collaborators remain involved. Jellis Craig (Balwyn) has taken over from Noel Jones, with director Mark Read not only joining Balwyn Rotary but now taking responsibility for organising the event.

But the greatest measure of its success is that, all these years later, the day still achieves Fred’s fundamental objective - making every member of the family feel included and valued.

That continuity is a remarkable testament to Fred's original vision.

Feedback from one family of seven, including two children with special needs, captures this beautifully:

“Normally our ‘neuro-typical’ kids (3 in total) enjoy the day, but this year they were actually really touched and moved that they were also able to select a Lego design from the table. They just assumed it would be only for the special needs siblings and were really blown away that they were thought of and talked about it afterwards a lot.

I wanted to call this out to say THANK YOU for thinking of them as well. We are always battling with ‘Glass Child’ syndrome, and this went a long way in making them feel valued and considered.”

For Fred, it was never simply about a fun day at the miniature railway.

It was about recognising the whole family.

And nineteen years on, that simple but powerful idea continues to make a difference.