After both his newborn daughter and 26-year-old wife died tragically within months of each other, he sold his advertising business and his life changed forever.

“I guess for me it [charity work] started out as a healing process, but it gets to you,” he said.

The chairman of Canberra’s Newborn Intensive Care Foundation handed the South East Regional Hospital $10,000 on Friday, to help support staff working with the hospital’s youngest patients.

The organisation helps hospitals from the Southern Highlands and into Victoria purchase non-critical medical equipment not funded by state governments.

“It may mean a baby doesn’t need to be transported to Canberra, or make sure they are in a better condition when they are,” Mr Cursley said.

“It’s nice to make sure hospitals have things that help with the quality of life.”

He is planning to set up a branch of the foundation in the Bega and Moruya regions in the near future, with the thought it can then provide consistent funds for nurse education, training and research for both hospitals.

He said researching the benefits of employing a hospital lactologist is just one example of what the foundation does.

Midwife Hannah Bird said nurses and midwives would benefit greatly from the donation.

“There’s things that jump straight to mind that we need in terms of equipment and education,” Ms Bird said.

“The midwives here really benefit from having the support to build our skills and knowledge in neonatal care.

“We have the opportunity to travel to Canberra for education, and there’s travel costs, accommodation costs and logistics involved.”

Hospital general manager Wendy Hubbard said the benefits of the donation will be seen well beyond the walls of the hospital.

“I’m ecstatic to have such support, which will make a difference to midwives and it’s equally wonderful for the community,” she said.