The pandemic has affected everyone, but it has hit charities a little harder. Lockdowns, restrictions and social distancing have made it almost impossible to carry on as though nothing had changed.
The 24 Hour Fight Against Cancer was no exception.
While its fundraising happens over many months and several different activities, they are all heavily focused on people being close together.
Its biggest day, not just for raising money to fight cancer, but awareness of where we’re at in dealing with this scourge, is a 24 Hour walk in the athletics track of Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
It takes place usually on the second weekend of October when hundreds of teams pitch tents inside the running track in readiness for a 10am start to the formalities.
Proceedings begin with a survivors walk and the day becomes a wonderful celebration of the fighting spirit of human beings here in Campbelltown and the Macarthur region.
Well it couldn’t happen in 2020 because of Covid-19, but as 24 Hour chairman Warren Morrison told the South West Voice in Macarthur, “cancer hasn’t stopped happening, so neither will we’’.
So it was a matter of doing what was possible under current restrictions in Sydney and NSW.
It included a fundraising 16 kilometre walk from Camden to Campbelltown Hospitals on the Saturday morning, pictured below.
It preceded the big event, which obviously wasn’t as big as what happens inside the athletics track, the drawing of the winning tickets in the giant raffle.
Two mayors, Camden’s Theresa Fedeli, and Campbelltown’s George Brticevic, joined a small group of people wearing the current blue 24 Hour sponsors’ shirts at Fastlane Karting last Saturday afternoon.
There were go kart races and lots of fun before the serious work of drawing some lucky winners from the 12,120 tickets sold and stuffed into the biggest raffle barrel we have ever seen.
It’s notable that 8,748 tickets were sold the traditional way and 3,372 online, raising an amazing $24,240 for this great community cause.
One of those online tickets belonged to former Campbelltown chamber chief Glenn Creecy, who now lives in Adelaide.
His was just one of 50 winning tickets drawn but it produced howls of laughter from Cr Brticevic and Warren Morrison, pictured below.
“The process of ringing winners – all 50 of them – has begun and will take a few days, so please be patient,’’ says Mr Morrison, who added:
“Macarthur, you rock.’’
