News Archive

When you have beaten cancer, walking 60 kilometres in a weekend doesn't seem such a difficult thing to do!

Cheryl Denton (Policy and Planning, Information Services) is a cancer survivor and she also survived the Weekend to End Women's Cancers walk earlier this month.

The Warrior Goddesses - Cheryl and her colleagues in IS, Mary White and Maxine Gamble, together with their friend Lainey Murphy -- raised $16,155.50.

Another UWA team, the Daffydills, raised $7,800. Team members Melinda Mounsey and Helen Bush from Financial Services, and Tania New from the School of Earth and Environment wore bright yellow shirts as they walked the 30 kilometres each day, their name and colours in line with the Cancer Council's Daffodil Day every August.

"It was an awesome experience," said Tania.

The two-day walk was around Perth suburbs, with most of the 847 walkers camping overnight at McCallum Park, where food, entertainment, massage and foot treatments were provided.

PhD scholar Tammy Corica from the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, was part of a team of 12 friends from outside UWA called the Blister Sisters. They raised $36,000.

"There was such a wonderful feeling of camaraderie," Tammy said. "It was a real pleasure and an honour to be part of the event. It was fun to see Peter Leedman in a pink tutu!"

And Dr Sarah Paton, wife of Peter Leedman, the new director of the Perkins Institute for Medical Research, their daughter Cate Leedman, and Perkins events manager Meredith Eddington also formed a team and walked off the cakes and scones from their fund-raising high teas over the past few months. Sarah raised $3,824, Cate raised $3,502 and Meredith $3,700.

They were part of Team Perkins, which had 13 walkers but many more fund raisers, who made a total of $63,122.33.

One of Team Perkins, Kathy Davern, showed  unparalleled courage and commitment. She fell on Saturday and fractured her left wrist but had it plastered that night so she could continue the walk on Sunday! She had it repaired at Hollywood Private Hospital on the Monday.

Another member of the Perkins team pushed a friend with breast cancer in a wheelchair along the entire route.  Anybody who did the walk will know what effort was required just to walk, let along push somebody in a wheelchair as well.

This was the inaugural Weekend Walk, which raised $2.2 million for the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research . Participants were asked to raise $2,000 each to qualify for the walk. Some took the fund-raising journey even further.

It was getting close to the Weekend and Mary White still had not met her target, so she wrote to everybody she could think of in the top end of town. After several weeks, she had received no replies but, suddenly, $3,000 was deposited in her fund-raising account, from Hancock Prospecting.

"Gina Hancock gets a lot of criticism, but I was thrilled that her company donated to this cause," she said.

Mary has problems with her feet on the Walk weekend so was unable to complete it. But she sent this message to her supporters:

"I survived the weekend Walk to End Women's Cancers. With your help, I managed to raise $4,510.

"I had a podiatry consult 48 hours before the big event to have my feet strapped and was referred by the podiatrist for an ultrasound - flat feet, heel spurs, et. - so shouldn't really have walked, but managed 31.3kms on Saturday, thankfully in good weather conditions.

"The first 23kms were a breeze, but the last seven were torturous and I almost succumbed to the pain and jumped into one of the support vehicles. However, I managed to push through the throbbing hurt with my colleague, Cate Hunt's mother as my inspiration (and a Freddo Frog from the support vehicle).

"She is receiving treatment for cancer and although I haven't met her, the effort to reach that interminable finish line was somehow channelled to me from Mrs Hunt. So huge thanks to Cate's lovely mum. Everyone who crossed the finish line was warmly applauded by the event organisation crew and personally named, then high-fived by the announcer. Then it was off to the podiatry tent for me followed by a long, cool drink at the bar and a longer hobble to the car park.

"Feet were not in the best shape afterwards and I was unable to do the Sunday walk, so hope you are not too disappointed.

"The best news is that all the funds raised, including your donation, will go towards establishing Western Australia's first Centre for Women's Cancer Research and the appointment of an outstanding scientist to lead the work.

"The Centre will focus on defeating two of the most challenging diseases facing women, breast and ovarian cancer. Funds will help employ the best researchers to join this team, as well as providing equipment and grants to encourage them to ask the big questions."