Father's Day 2026

The Fathers Behind the Care

The men you nominated, and some of the special stories we read.

We asked you to tell us about the father figures in your life. 

It’s lifting someone out of bed and over to the table for dinner. It’s managing continence care while holding down a full-time job. It’s sitting patiently with a seven-year-old who views the world a little differently, working every day to understand him better. It’s facing a night with no sleep and still finding the energy to keep going when the sun comes up.

That work usually happens without an audience. More than 5 million Australians live with incontinence, and behind a great many of them is someone quietly making the day possible. Some of those people are dads, grandpas, stepdads, carers and husbands. 

Here are a few of the father figures you nominated...

Wayne 

Nominated by his stepdaughter, Evie 

"My name is Evie, I am 20 years old and I have non verbal autism and an intellectual disability. So my mum Leeanne is writing this on my behalf, because she knows how much I really love my step dad Wayne."

"My biological father was never there for me or my siblings. My mum took great care of us all and still does. My mum met my step dad Wayne in 2021 and were later married in 2023. I finally have the father I never had before! From day one I loved him and bonded with him. He loves me as his own. He fully accepts me, even with all my special needs due to my autism and intellectual disability - ABD in recent years, and my epilepsy."

"He is always there, loving me and my mum. Together we are an awesome team of three! I love to give my step dad lot's of hugs, kisses and smiles. I make him laugh with funny things I do - and he nicknamed me the 'gobbledock lop' because I love my chips! I could never imagine my life without him."

The rest of the dads you nominated

Every one of these deserved to win. Here they are.

Cage 

Nominated by Kellie 

"Our son Kynan has ALD genetic disorder. Cage (Kynan's father) cares for us so well - working full time cooking, cleaning and helping us with our incontinence issues. Kynan walks with a walker or wheelchair (with Cage) having to lift him out of bed, to the table for meals and through lack of sleep - as both our legs ache and nervous system don't regulate."

"He is amazing... and we do miss time with our other children as Kynan is full time care. Thank you."

Kevin 

Nominated by Tom 

"Kevin is always trying to be an amazing father for our ASD son who is 7. He loves him so much and takes him camping every weekend. Even with our son not understanding anything most of the time, his dad is always trying to work him out to help him. It's the hardest job ever... harder than welding, and he does that everyday. But he still goes on. Everyday, for us."

Kevin 

Nominated by his daughter, Leeha 

"My Dad is the best Dad in the world! He's a father of 6 and recently became a widow to his sweetheart of over 60 years. He's struggling and also suffers with incontinence. I'm 59 this year and still a Dad's girl!"

Lionel 

Nominated by his wife, Jodie

"Lionel, my now-husband, has lived with us for around 8 years. When he moved in, my kids were at that impressionable age of being in their early teens. They could have gone off the rails easily - and to add COVID into the mix - things were even more difficult. Lionel always supports me in my decisions and backs me 100%. He always treats my kid's as if they were his own."

"His calm presence and his no-disrespect / non-argumentative nature have rubbed off on my kids - it's made a lifelong impact and impression on my now-young adults. I don't believe this would have been the case without him around. He brings out the best in all of us."

Thank you

To everyone who wrote in, we appreciate your heartfelt stories. Several of you shared diagnoses, grief and continence issues without a hint of embarrassment, and that is not a small thing to put in writing.

It is worth saying plainly: incontinence is common, it is manageable and it is nobody's shame to carry. It turns up in families managing a genetic condition, in a dad of six who has just lost his wife of sixty years, and in households that look completely ordinary from the street. The right products, the right funding and the right advice make an enormous difference to how a day feels.

If any of these stories sound like your household, our team is on the phone on (02) 9531 2011. No wait times, no scripts, and no need to explain yourself twice.

Happy Father's Day to all the exceptional dad's and father figures in our community!