Cuppa for Cancer tops $11,000 again

By John Conroy

May 21, 2024

**Friends in Common vice-president Lesley Shead, president Christine Merrett **and** **event coordinator and secretary Leon Porter** in front of prizes.**

Yarrawonga and district cancer patients, and carers, are set to benefit from another stellar Cuppa for Cancer event.

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With a turnout of 235 at Mulwala Water Ski Club, the Friends in Common-hosted event raised $11,900 – pipping last year’s total and cementing its comeback after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.

Including donations and raffle tickets sold in the lead-up, the total was more than $15,000, Friends in Common said.

The funds will be used to help people in Yarrawonga-Mulwala and surrounding districts pay for travel and accommodation costs during treatment in Albury and Melbourne – a timely boost with Albury’s Hilltop patient and carer accommodation centre recently raising overnight-stay rates for the first time in 12 years.

Friends in Common is currently helping 46 patients and carers in the district, with three more added last month, and the group encourages anyone who needs support to approach for assistance.

“It was fantastic, a great turnout, in the upper range for this event and almost back to our good old days,” event coordinator and Friends in Common secretary Leon Porter said.

Taking home the prizes on the day were Liz Howe (Rich Glen pack valued at $300 and donated by Mark Seeliger of Seeliger Real Estate), Cheryl Fasoli ($200 in petrol vouchers from Friends in Common, Kellie McKinnon (fire pit donated by Bunnings), Marg Newer ($100 ClubMulwala voucher) and John Wright (Jenny Davidson’s donated home-made rug)

Friends in Common team members had a 6am start as they assembled the morning tea, including baked goods from the community, and had their noses cheerily to the grindstone all morning.

But they were thankful for the contributions from the community including $600 from the ski club in addition to providing the event space.

“It was an amazing effort and we gratefully thank the Mulwala Waterski Club for their sponsorship, the generous local businesses who donated the spinning wheel, raffle and door prizes, the people who baked and donated the goodies for morning tea and the Sacred Heart Secondary College teachers and students who sold the spinning wheel tickets throughout the morning,” treasurer Christine Gardner said.

“We also thank the generous Yarrawonga community as a whole who continually support Friends in Common.”