Hundreds of people turned out on the weekend to support the Bega Valley Relay for Life at the Pambula Sporting Complex.
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Organiser Greg Whitby said he was pleased with the weekend and relieved the weather turned favourable, after heavy rain the night before.
“The Saturday night had a bit of cloud cover, but that worked in our favour,” he said, referring to the candlelight ceremony of hope, held that evening.
“The numbers were a bit down on last year’s, but we still had good attendance from carers and survivors, and a lot of teams just showed up and registered on the day, so it was a bit hard to predict numbers,” he said.
A total of 37 teams registered for this year’s event.
The Yuin Cancer Supporters fielded a team of approximately 40 walkers this year; making it the first Indigenous team to register for a Bega Valley Relay for Life.
The ‘Miss Relay’ pageant saw four lovely contestants taking part in this popular annual event raising over $734.
The winner was “Princes Persephone”, Shanan Owen from team Ragers, who raised more than $350.
Second place went to “Wendy”, aka Rory Smith, from team Wanderers, who raised over $260.
Mr Whitby congratulated all the the contestants, adding that to date, approximately $38,000 has been banked.
“This brings the grand total raised over eight relays to approximately $570,000,” he said.
National Rugby League (NRL) ambassador Alan Tongue (Canberra Raiders) attended his first relay event, assisting with the NRL activities on the field.
According to Mr Whitby, Alan was very impressed with the attention given to the survivors and carers, making special mention of the afternoon tea hosted by Lumen Christi Catholic College, and the transport provided by the Sapphire Coast Historic Vehicle Club of Pambula.
Mr Whitby acknowledged the Eden Marine High School and Pambula Public School students who provided musical performances to entertain the crowd, singling out Lochie Marson, Jackson Fisher, Nick Marshall and Roxygen among the line-up, and applauded the teams who dressed up for the occasion, adding to the fun of the weekend.
Other entertainment was provided by Footprint Theatre, Zorb Balls, Miss Oops the Clown, and Sapphire Coast Academy gymnasts.
The Rotary Club of Pambula provided catering and many local businesses and individuals provided sponsorship.
Mr Whitby said the committee wished to sincerely thank them for their support. He also praised the relay committee for their organising skills and support in creating another successful event.
“A huge thank you to all the survivors and carers who came along, and also all the teams for their attendance and fundraising efforts,” he concluded, adding that anyone keen to join the committee can contact him on 0407 093 833 or 02 6495 6781.
