history

 

When Peter Spitzer was a child he wanted to be a clown, but he grew up to become a doctor.  When Jean-Paul Bell was a child he wanted to be a doctor.  Instead he became a clown. 
 
As long-time friends, they had often discussed the healing power of humour and
‘the art of medicine.’ Jean-Paul had been making audiences laugh for 25 years.   Peter used humour in treating his patients.
 
International research demonstrated the physiological and psychological benefits of laughter. The idea for the Humour Foundation was born in 1996, and it developed with the help of six founding members. In forming a charity, The Humour Foundation, they found a way to give something back in a new and different way.
 
Clown Doctors was a way to immediately deliver the benefits of humour to those who needed it most. 
 
The pilot Clown Doctor program was at Royal Hobart Hospital in Tasmania, not long after the Port Arthur massacre. By January 1997, the organisation was established and the first Clown Doctor program began in Sydney Children’s Hospital. In 2000, Clown Doctors began working in palliative care. By 2001 Clown Doctors were visiting children’s hospitals around Australia.
 
Presenters shared their knowledge on the health benefits of laughter and how to use humour for self-care and patient care, and so LaughterWorks developed.
 
As part of the Smile Around the World project, Clown Doctors visited East Timor in 2000 and Afghanistan in 2002, helping people to find their smiles again. They also took donated medical equipment and basic necessities.
 
In 2004 The Humour Foundation of Ireland was founded and Clown Doctors launched at Crumlin Children’s Hospital in 2005.  This organisation is separately run and funded, but developed with the expertise of Jean-Paul Bell and Peter Spitzer.
 
While Clown Doctor programs have now been established at general hospitals and hospices, the focus is still on Clown Doctor programmes in children’s hospitals around Australia.
 
Founding members: Jean-Paul Bell, Peter Spitzer, Peter Barker, Leonie Leonard, Judy Spitzer, Elisabeth Barker.