By Russell Bennett
“MAKE a date to check that prostate. Do that, even if you’re the typical male who thinks ‘I’m too young’, ‘I don’t need to’, ‘I don’t have a problem’.
“Just think about the amount of times you get out of bed at night to go to the toilet. If you’re having two or three pees a night, go and get yourself checked.”
Geoff Underwood is more than just a national board member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA).
He’s part of the 92 per cent of suffers who’ve survived beyond five years.
His message was a simple yet direct one and one that hit home to 450 blokes at the Cardinia Cultural Centre on Friday 19 August for the third running of the Cardinia Casey Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch.
Organisers of the event hoped to raise around the $100,000 mark for the PCFA’s research and awareness initiatives after raising $80,000 last year and $53,000 in one afternoon in 2014. Their mission was a roaring success.
This year’s event was sold out 10 weeks ago – showing just how quickly its popularity and its vital message has spread throughout blokes in the community.
Prostate cancer sufferer Chris McPherson from McPherson Media Group came up with the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch concept seven years ago and held the first event in Shepparton.
There are now about a dozen held across Victoria and southern New South Wales and they have collectively raised well over $2 million for prostate cancer research and awareness initiatives through Aussie blokes attending and supporting the events in their local communities.
Paul Thomas – the Managing Director of the near 107-year-old Star News Group, which produces the Gazette – attended the Warragul event a few years ago and declared his interest in hosting one in the local area.
Renowned funny man Dave O’Neil emceed Friday’s event, while all four members of the VFL/AFL 400-game club – Richmond legend Kevin Bartlett, Hawthorn icon Michael Tuck, Bombers great Dustin Fletcher and the evergreen North Melbourne champion Brent Harvey – had an active involvement with the function.
The Cardinia Casey Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch committee for 2016 included chairman Garry Howe, vice-chairman Dan O’Loughlin, secretary Damien McKenna, treasurer Jack Mitchell, Paul Thomas, Brian Paynter, Brendan Fitzsimmons, Norm Davidson, John Barbaressos, Andrew Pomeroy, Adam Khan and Mark Bond.
For the full story, pick up a copy of this week’s Pakenham-Berwick Gazette.
