General News
13 July, 2023
Ladies unite for cause
GOOD food, friendship and drinks helped to raise vital funds at a recent ladies night run by Camperdown Football Netball Club.
GOOD food, friendship and drinks helped to raise vital funds at a recent ladies night run by Camperdown Football Netball Club.
The night was a fundraiser for a Camperdown family with a mother and son battling cancer, and a donation will be made to the Breast Cancer Network of Australia.
Camperdown Football Netball Club originally held the ladies nights as a fun social event for netballers, staff and the community, but soon decided to raise funds for charities.
Club coordinator Natasha Swayn said this year’s event was to help a family with a son in the football club.
“We’ve got a family who’s struggling a bit with their son, who’s been playing footy with us for a bit, having some issues with a tumor behind his eye,” she said.
“While the family was investigating what was happening with him, the mum became unwell.
“She was found to have a tumor in her stomach and diagnosed also with breast cancer.
“We decided to try and raise some money to try to help the family; it’s all very difficult at the moment, not only is it stressful, but very expensive.”
The Tobias family will receive funds to support mother Sam and youngest son Aden in seeking treatment.
Ms Swayn said the family of three were a great family unit.
“They’re always been involved in local sports and worked locally,” she said.
“They’re really good people, and we’re willing to help them.
“They’ve had lots of stuff to deal with, and we just wanted to help them a bit with the financial burden; Sam has to go to Melbourne for treatment for the two types of cancer she has, and she’s still in the early stages of working through that.”
The night itself was supported by raffle prize donations from local businesses, with many prizes on offer.
An afternoon tea was served by the netball club, with an auction and live music adding to the night.
Ms Swayn said the night raised just under $13,000 for the family and the Breast Cancer Network of Australia.
“It’s a bit overwhelming, to be perfectly honest,” she said.
“We’ve had lots of great feedback about how it was not only fun, but it was really informative.
“We had Debbie Marshman, who is a local breast cancer survivor, and she spoke about her personal journey and the importance of doing your early checks and being vigilant.
“She was amazing talking about her journey and what she does now. I spoke about Sam’s journey on her behalf, since she didn’t attend on the day.”