Ben Fordham presented with a special treat gift after confessing to missing out as a child
By Jo Abi|
Today Extra host Sylvia Jeffreys has baked a cake for Ben Fordham ¡ª but not for his birthday, which isn't until November 29.
Instead, it was an innocent comment by Fordham that inspired her to get out The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book recipe book and whip up the creation for him.
"Oh my... I told @sylviajeffreys I missed out on the racing track cake when I turned 8 so she baked it for me," Fordham explained on Instagram after Jeffreys sent him a photo of the cake last night.
"She's bringing it into the radio show at 8:40am."
Jeffreys appeared on Ben Fordham Live this morning and also brought in her son Oscar Hamilton, much to the delight of staff and listeners of the show.
The pair spoke about Young Care Australia, which has partnered with the iconic recipe book to raise funds for young Australians living with high needs and disabilities through a "cake challenge".
"All you do is you buy the Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, you bake a cake and the money goes to Young Care," Fordham explained on the show.
Jeffreys said when she heard her friend and colleague had missed out on the figure eight racing car cake as a kid, she knew she had to do something about it.
"I thought, 'Those poor deprived Fordham children', you know, 'it's the one thing he didn't have as a boy'," Jeffreys joked.
"I feel that I've lived a full life, but it's one thing that was not ticked off the bucket list," Fordham explained when the cake was placed in front of him.
"And I'm here to help you with that," Jeffreys added.
"I slaved away all day yesterday, Bennie, and that is my best baking effort yet."
She certainly did an outstanding job ¡ª if you compare photos of the Women's Weekly racing track cake and Jeffreys', you can hardly tell the difference. Each is a perfect figure eight complete with chocolate bullet racing track barriers on rich chocolate frosting with cars, a 'go' flag and a 'stop' sign.
"Do the cars drive around it?" a clearly delighted Fordham asked.
"They don't," Jeffreys gently explained.
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"I'm a very amateur baker and that's what's so great about this challenge, Ben, is that it is fun and engaging and it is easy for anyone of any baking level to get involved."
To get involved, head to YourCakeChallenge.com.au and sign up. Between August 29 and September 6, you simply choose which cake you'd like to make from the book and bake it.
"Share your cake baking procedure and journey on social media, get your friends involved and in doing so, raise money for Young Care ¡ every charity right now is really struggling, they need a lot of support," Jeffreys added.
Jeffreys and Fordham discussed just how important the organisation's assistance is to families who have a loved one living with extra needs, particularly when it comes to assistance to keep those young Australians in appropriate housing.
"It's not a thing in the past, there are still more than five thousand Australians aged between 18 and 60 living in aged care facilities."
"Once upon a time when people went into care they would be surrounded by people double or triple their age, that's what Young Care changed," Fordham said.
Jeffreys said while the situation has improved, there are still young Australians with disabilities living in nursing homes with people much older than they are. During the coronavirus crisis, ?this leaves them more vulnerable than if they had more support at home.
"It's not a thing in the past, there are still more than five thousand Australians aged between 18 and 60 living in aged care facilities," Jeffreys said.
"You look at the crisis in aged care right now, that's affecting young people too ¡ª people between that age group who don't have anywhere else to go who have high care needs, high care disabilities and also living with underlying health conditions which puts them at risk of the virus.
"So they are living in fear, and they're also living without dignity, so Young Care is addressing that and trying to find appropriate housing solutions. They're building houses and apartments brick by brick."
While Jeffreys confessed to being an "amateur baker", Fordham exposed himself as an "amateur cake cutter", slicing into the cardboard ramp instead of the cake race track.
"That's the cardboard ramp, mate," Jeffreys helpfully pointed out before Fordham decided to put the knife down and leave the cutting to someone else.
