Less than 48 hours after their biggest fundraiser of the year, Warren Morrison, the chairman of Fight Against Cancer Macarthur, was meeting health officials to discuss where the money raised would be spent on.
Mr Morrison didn’t volunteer this information; it just happened that the call from the South West Voice came while he was in the middle of talks with doctors at Campbelltown Hospital.
“There’s more to come, but we will be funding a new nurse to support oncology services for children,’’ he told the Voice.
“It’s going to cost just under $43,000, and we’re happy to be able to provide the funding because that’s why we do it,’’ he said.
In an age when people are careful with their donations to charities, Fight Against Cancer Macarthur continues to be popular because it uses every cent it raises to make the Campbelltown Cancer Therapy Centre the best that it can be.
As Mr Morrison told the hundreds of people who took part in the 24 Hour walk on the weekend at the Campbelltown Stadium athletics track, the charity established by the late Fred Borg has now raised more than $5 million.
But more importantly it has made a huge difference to cancer sufferers from the wider region who attend the Campbelltown Hospital centre for treatment.
It is arguably the best such centre in NSW and possibly across the country, and mostly it’s thanks to the contribution from a charity that will celebrate 20 years of service in 2024.
Several fundraisers, from golf days to classic car events, are held each year, which culminate in the big one: the 24 Hour Walk Against Cancer at the athletics track.
Plenty of fundraising takes place between 10am on the Saturday and 10am the next day, but what makes it really special is the community camaraderie.
The best way I can describe it is as Campbelltown’s own corroboree – a feel good experience for everyone who attend in some way over the 24 hour period.
This year more than 1500 people spent some time at the Campbelltown Stadium athletics track.
There were more than 70 teams that pitched their tents inside the running track, while outside Ingleburn Rotary club were ready to feed them with a sausage sizzle under way early in the morning.
“It’s great to be back to normal,’’ says Warren Morrison.
“We still have the survivors’ lunch for 300 people to come at Club Menangle, one of our great sponsors, but it has been wonderful so far, with everyone helping out.’’
Mr Morrison says that another pleasing aspect of the charity is that the Borg family is still involved in different ways every year.
“Paul (Fred’s son) did the classic cars for us, and as you saw his son Mathew was the MC for the 24 Hour Walk.’’
