After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the annual Illawarra Cancer Carers fundraising lunch returned on Sunday, at the City Beach Function Centre, and in style.
As fundraisers go, this has to be one of the most fun events on the circuit. Importantly, more than $50,000 was raised through a combination of ticket sales, raffles, auctions, lucky door prizes and games.
The theme for this year's Banquet at the Beach was 'Come Fly With Us' and our genial host, the captain of our flight, Graeme Sutherland, ensured the afternoon flowed smoothly and everyone was having a great time. The organising committee set the scene beautifully dressed as flight attendants and we even had an on-board safety drill before we fastened our seat belts and the event literally 'took off'.
Following Uncle Richard Davis's Welcome to Country, the president of Illawarra Cancer Carers, Narelle Langridge, thanked everyone for attending and praised the efforts of the more than 200 volunteers who over the years have raised more than $5 million for cancer care, support and research.
Attendees were inspired by a presentation from UOW's Professor Marie Ranson and her research assistant, Chelsea Penney, about the groundbreaking work they are doing to find new treatments and cures for cancer.
On an afternoon when everyone was a winner, Wongawilli couple Pam and Kev Cooper took home an exquisite 9ct yellow gold, natural garnet and diamond bracelet valued at $1800, donated by Crown Diamond Jewellers. During the afternoon there was a brilliant set of popular tunes by guitarist/vocalist Anthony Snape.
It felt like everyone left the event with a prize and the bidding was spirited for prizes of holidays at Byron Bay and Mollymook, a hand-crafted surfboard and a quality wine package. Among the eye-catching silent auction items was a 10kg bar of Cadbury's chocolate.
Organisers are celebrating a hugely successful fundraiser and planning is already underway for an even bigger, better event in 2025.