River quest supports cancer kids
by Michèle Nardelli
What
in the world would make two blokes paddle two kayaks along the Murray
River from Albury NSW to Goolwa? Just so you get an idea of how much
paddling that is – it is almost 7000 laps of the Melbourne Cricket
Ground (2193km) and involves 1.6 million rotations of their shoulders…
ouch!
But for campus services security officer, Derek Lawson, it will be worth every aching kilometre. Lawson will pair up with friend Michael Proctor to take on this adventure in a bid to raise as much money as possible for the specialist childhood cancer ward at the Womens and Childrens Hospital (W&CH) in SA.
Right now the pair is looking for more sponsorship for the event to boost the fundraising effort from hundreds of dollars to thousands. They are offering three levels of corporate sponsorship – bronze, silver and gold – which cover sums from $250 right through to $1000 or more.
“At the end of this we want to be able to hand over a handsome cheque to the hospital because we know the support will make a difference to all the children who face the real challenge of cancer,” Lawson said.
“For me it is not about anything personal – I am a fit healthy adult and I simply want to do something that will help people who don’t have those advantages. The Brookman Ward at the W&CH is one of the best places we can think of to support.”
All expenses for the trip are being covered by the paddlers personally. Their fundraising target is $25,000.
While Lawson and Proctor believe they will get a lot of support along the course of their river journey across three states, they are keen to encourage corporate support for the venture.
“I am thrilled that UniSA’s Document Services has provided in-kind support and that work is flexible enough for me to fit this in,” Lawson said.
“We’ve also had considerable support from Satex Distributors, Access Canoes
and Perception Kayaks and we know the University’s Students Association, USASA,
is planning a few small fundraisers to help us along. Now we’re hoping more
businesses and individuals will come on board to help us meet our target.”
Staff, students, graduates and businesses interested in adding their sponsorship
can contact Lawson or Proctor at
derek.lawson@unisa.edu.au or
michael.proctor@dfc.sa.gov.au
In any given week up to 100 children will receive treatment at the W&CH. The
Oncology Department is now caring for more than 500 children with cancer or
leukaemia from throughout South Australia and the Northern Territory. As a
result of research into childhood cancer, the cure rate has risen from 20 to 75
per cent in the last 25 years. Information about the Brookman Ward is available
at
www.wch.sa.gov.au/services/az/divisions/paedm/brookman