The Dowton family live in White Cliffs in far Western NSW, an opal mining town about 300km from Broken Hill. Typical of the area, the family home is a dugout – a house built in to the side of a hill to maintain a comfortable year-round temperature. The community relies on a local health clinic and the Royal Flying Doctor Service for medical attention or travel the three-hour drive to Broken Hill hospital.

Grace Dowton suffered a stroke at birth. She was flown immediately from Broken Hill to Royal Adelaide Women’s and Children’s hospital where an MRI scan confirmed significant bruising on the brain. When she had not achieved key milestones at the age of three, Grace was referred to Royal Far West and soon after she was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy and severe expressive language disorder.

Since then, Grace has progressed strongly and steadily with the help of the consistent, ongoing care she receives through Royal Far West. Graces' mother Wendy travels with her twice a year to Manly – an 18 hour trip by public transport. Wendy insists Grace would not be where she is today had it not been for the early intervention, intensive therapy and home program support from Royal Far West. Because of this, Grace was able to start mainstream school with her peers at age five and is now preparing for high school next year.

‘We are so very fortunate after all these years to be at the other end of it with great results’, says Wendy. ‘Royal Far West has been fantastic - Grace is a real success story’.

Grace is still slightly behind her peers in her emotional and social skills but Wendy says the community support in their small town ensures that Grace will always have friends. The more she matures, the less her disability holds her back.

‘It’s been quite a journey, but we are better people for it. We’re lucky because of the early intervention Grace received. She will always get by. There are stories like this everywhere and I find we don’t have to look far for inspiration and hope’.

In a historical twist, the Dowton family have had a long connection with Royal Far West. Grace’s maternal great-grandmother was a volunteer in the 1950’s and used to accompany children from Coonabarabran where she lived, to Royal Far West in Manly. ‘It’s incredible to think we ended up linking back to Royal Far West,’ says Wendy. ‘It’s like we’ve come full circle’.