May 4, 2023
Diners were bowled over at the launch on Thursday morning of the South Burnett’s annual Relay For Life fundraising campaign for Cancer Council Queensland.
About 110 people gathered at the Kingaroy RSL Club to hear guest speaker Greg Rowell speak about his career as a fast bowler, post-cricket life as a solicitor and cricket administrator, and his brush with skin cancer.
Greg played for NSW, Queensland and Tasmania during his first class career as well as with the Australia A side which found itself taking on – and almost beating – Australia in a World Series Final in 1994-95.
His story touched on his persistence through repeated foot injuries – he has just had another operation – and his diagnosis of melanoma.
Greg admitted he had put off getting his skin checked and was shocked when he learned the mark on his face was a melanoma, which was caught in time and successfully removed.
Jessica Hughes, from Cancer Council Queensland, also spoke, praising the support from the South Burnett community and the local Relay For Life committee.
She said South Burnett Relay For Life had raised more than $1.8 million since it started in 2006. Funds raised had helped Cancer Council Queensland’s support services, prevention and research projects.
Jessica shared some scary statistics:
“Here in Queensland, we know that one in two people will be diagnosed with a form of cancer by the age of 85,” she said.
“In the Kingaroy region, the cancer diagnosis is actually 6 per cent above the Australian average.”
The 2023 South Burnett Face Of Relay, Dennis Cotter, also spoke briefly about his journey with prostate cancer, and urged all the men present to get regular checks.
This was the second year the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the Relay launch.
Secretary Paula Greenwood thanked the many businesses and individual donors who supplied prizes for the multi-draw raffle: Rowena Dionysius, Maxine Tessmann, Deep Feet, Kingaroy RSL Club, Betta Home Living Murgon, Kingaroy Office Central, Soul Moon Café, Good Price Pharmacy, BCF, Robinson News Kingaroy, Bunnings, Moffatdale Wines and the Endeavour Foundation.
The raffle alone raised more than $900 on the morning.
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Some Important Dates:
- Dinner With The Captains – After a three-year break due to the pandemic, the annual fundraising dinner is back! It will be held on July 29 in the Kingaroy Town Hall. Guests will be rugby league legend Allan Langer, Olympic gold medal beach volleyballer Natalie Cook and former Australian women’s cricket captain Jodie Purves; seats are limited to just 270
- Ride 4 Relay – Places are still available in the cycling team, which will cover more than 400km around the region from August 29 to September 2
- Relay For Life – October 7 at a new venue, T.J. O’Neill Oval in Kingaroy
I really enjoyed the presentation by Carl and Greg. An obvious respect for one another.