The amazing fundraising event that is the annual Liquor Industry Trade lunch, hosted by the Bayfield Family, has once again shown the generosity of this industry, raising over $345,000 on the day last week.
This was the 21st annual event and the amazing fundraising effort seen last Wednesday means that over $3.5m has been raised to help the Children’s Cancer Institute.
Liquor industry leaders and heavyweights gathered for the lunch, which was back in person at the Belrose Hotel, Belrose after having to go virtual last year.
Wayne Bayfield, CEO, Bayfield Hotels, said: “Given the challenging year we have all had as an industry, it was so great to be able to get together with our industry friends for this special charity event. Despite COVID, the industry rallied behind Children’s Cancer Institute to help fund their vital research.
“I am so proud of our industry friends for helping achieve such a phenomenal outcome that will deliver significant impact for the future of kids with cancer.”
Those gathered heard from Professor Maria Kavallaris, who is Head of the Translational Cancer Nanomedicine Theme and Group Leader of the Tumour Biology and Targeting Group at Children’s Cancer Institute, and Founding Director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine at UNSW Sydney.
Professor Kavallaris said: “The latest childhood cancer stats, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, estimate that there will be 1294 cases of cancer in 0-19 year-olds this year. Despite the overall survival rate now being up around 85 per cent, there are still two big problems.
“Firstly, some cancers still have a very low cure rate, so despite improvements, there are still close to three deaths from childhood cancer every week in Australia.
“Secondly, more than two-thirds of survivors of childhood cancer suffer health problems as a result of their treatment, sometimes for the rest of their life.”
Professor Kavallaris also said that the Children’s Cancer Institute was making exciting progress through the Zero Childhood Cancer personalised medicine program (ZERO), which is a joint initiative of the Institute and Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital, and involving every children’s hospital in Australia. And she added more excitement is on the horizon with the construction of Australia’s first Comprehensive Children’s Cancer Centre, which will house both the Institute and the Kids Cancer Centre and is on track to open in 2025.
In terms of just what this fundraising effort means to the Institute, Anne Johnston, Chief of Fundraising & Marketing, said: “We are so grateful to the Bayfield Family and their liquor industry friends for their dedicated support. To fund a senior researcher at the lab bench with all their consumables and all the operational support needed for a whole year we need $130,000 – so the industry has helped raise enough for two Senior Researchers and one Junior Researcher for a whole year to complete our critical research for kids with cancer. Amazing…”
You can help continue the fight against children’s cancer, by donating at the Children’s Cancer Institute website.