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I’d like to say this is one of the most memorable and fun times in the last 30+ years of my softball life that I’ve ever had. It felt so good to have a real genuine smile on my face, which has been a little forced and hard to do over the last 12 months of my life…. 

I personally know myself the real challenges that are faced with Cancer and there are some dark times had by many.

I consider myself a very lucky girl having come through my journey with so much more life to live. 

This time last year, almost to the day, on the 16th Dec. I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (there was a story on TV recently about Tessa James, my experience was quite similar….). Christmas eve I found out about my plan of attack and New Year’s Eve my chemotherapy started. The next few months were a write off… I spent our 20th wedding anniversary in the chemo chair (bald and feeling pretty ugly!) 

Half way through I got to celebrate, the treatment was successful so far. I was getting lots of great support through many family and friends and medical staff near and far with my main supporters by my side every single day Boof,Emily and Kate.

Thanks everyone for getting me through this crappy time in life! 

It was so good to get back on the diamond and be given an opportunity to participate in every way! First time back in the blue uniform for quite some time. I was surprised that my head and legs got it together.

Thank you also to everyone who laughed at the right time during the Yellow Socks Charity game, with me or at me didn’t matter , just laughing was good enough for me! I had a great time!

And just thanks!

Here’s hoping for an invite next year….

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It will take a while to collate the final figures so in the meantime, we would like to thank the following because without you, the day would not have been the great day it was!  It is quite a long post, because there are so many folks to thank!

We received some donations to the charity before the event had even started and it was an absolute thrill to receive a cheque for $2000 from Steve Renouf on behalf of the Bernborough Club Inc.   Thank you Clem and the Bernborough Club and your incredibly thoughtful donation.

The Australian Defence Force Softball Association played their annual tournament all week at Brisbane Softball and held nightly Kangaroo Courts. As a consequence they, with the Royal New Zealand Air Force contingent, raised over $1000 and donated it to us on the diamond, before the big game!  And then Redsox Softball Club, they pulled together and club President Carol Vellnagel, presented us with a $500 cheque.  WOW, so generous and incredibly thoughtful and kind people – thank you so much!

Thank you to Gorden Tallis and P4AC board member Graham McColm for pulling together such a stellar Broncos team and to our Prezo Brooke for bringing together a legendary softball team!  Special mention to Gordy, who in the last 2 weeks representing as our ambassador, and Broncos young gun, Anthony Milford for both attending our inaugural sportman’s dinner and then backing it up for this game.

Thank you to the players from both teams for coming together on the day and putting together a fantastic spectacle.  Highlight of the day was Aussie Spirit softball captain, Stacey Porter,  putting 2 over the fence and not even Sam Thaiday sitting on the fence could stop them!  Comedian of the day? Easy – Sam Thaiday – one very funny man!  We think you should pop down to his Newstead café – Drinc – you just might get a chance to find out how funny and genuine he truly his!

We had great media coverage this year, probably our best yet!  Thank you Brisbane Broncos (website and their facebook), Jason and Kath from Major League Marketing, Bernie Pramberg and his ‘For the love of the game’ article and the Courier Mail and Quest Newspapers – we were thrilled with the coverage!

To those that helped by donating their services, thank you – the generosity is what makes these events special!  We encourage our supporters to support those that support us – Princess Charlotte Seafoods, Leading Edge Sports, XXXX, Coca-Cola,  Major League Marketing, Melanie Roche & Graham McColm.

Thank you to my favourite softball association, Brisbane softball association for hosting the event and to Wally and the board for all your help.

No event could go ahead without the help of volunteers, and getting them isn’t always easy, but when you ask the right people they never hesitate to say yes,  so thank you Geoff and Janelle Schulz, Kay Bryden, Christine Jacka, the Qld U19 softball team and the wonderful Corrie Knight!

Scott and Bonita – you do such a great job catering for the event and helping us set up various areas and you never complain even when working such long hours to help make it a success – you’re truly amazing.  Thank you!  Thank you to Bizzare Framing for helping with the framing of our raffle prizes – they looked fantastic and the winners were suitably impressed!  Thank you Horney for coming early and calling the ADF games and making the games that much more fun to watch.  You really make a big difference.  To Joycey and Steph, thank you for your spot interviews on the diamond.  I think perhaps  you guys have the most fun of all!

Congratulations to Selwyn and Norelle for bidding and wining a spot on the teams – we know you had a good time and we suspect you will be back again next year

To Rose of KR Sports Photos we always love your photos as they always capture the mood of the day!  Thank you!  See below for the photos from the day.

And to the spectators who donated a gold coin for entry and bought raffle tickets – we hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did!  Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you again next year!

The raffle winners are listed here:

We have one final BIG fundraiser still going to finish the year (the year we cracked the $100000 raised).  Our first ever car raffle, and we ask that you sacrifice one last coffee this year to purchase your ticket by clicking here.  The car will be drawn on the 20th December  – just before Christmas and you could possibly be the most popular person in the world if you win this car and gift it

And to switch into personal mode, from me to my board – Anne, Cheryl-Lea, Kim, Graham and Brooke – thank you – thank you for everything you do!

And for the record, the P4AC Legends got up and beat the Broncos 17-12!  Go girls!!!

Post note (9/12/15) – thank you to Wilston Grange Softball Club for their donation.

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We have been sitting at just under $92500 raised for a little while and with our 5th birthday looming we were hoping our inaugural dinner would tip the scales over the $100K raised. 

They did just that and we are thrilled to report, that on our 5th birthday we can confirm we have now raised over $100000.

Here’s to the next $100000 (but hopefully in less time!).

THANK YOU to everybody who has been involved in the charity over the last 5 years – it’s because of you that we can post such a happy positive post!

Now we move on to our next big event – we love this event!  Come down Saturday, 5th December, 2015, to see the Broncos take on the legend softballers – who will win this year?

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It started with securing the room with the Broncos and with the board and our newly acquired Team Members, Shane and Chris working hard, we managed to pull together a stellar line up of sports stars, auction items and entertainment!

So to start with we must thank Gorden Tallis (our ambassador), Stacey Porter, Romelda Aiken, Anthony Milford and Simon Black for giving up their Saturday night and giving a great interview with our emcee Dobbo.   You are all absolute superstars and you did yourselves and your chosen sports proud.   Thank you so much!

To our emcee Ben Dobbin (Dobbo), thank you for coming on board and providing your services.  A great emcee always makes the night great and you nailed it!

To our sponsors, Allmet Engineering, RMI and Crowne Real estate, thank you.  Not just for your generosity in sponsoring our inaugural dinners but for your support behind the scenes and for putting together so many tables.  Quite simply amazing, and we hope you back up again next year.  To Grant Lowe our auctioneer, thank you – it was fun and we know the crowd had a great time and more importantly we got some great prices for our auction items!

Thank you to In&Out Lighting, Sirromet, UV 4×4 & Pirelli for your auction item donations   Thank you to ShapeCut for cutting our very cool P4AC keyrings, we left one on every table setting for every attendee, we hope you like it!

To Kingsley from Champions Memorabilia.  Thanks for helping us with items for the auction and your advice and contribution to the set up on the night J

Thank you Rose from KR Sports Photography for your photos on the night.  The place looked wonderful, the attendees beautiful and the sports stars fantastic, and you’ve captured it all!

And what about Taylor Wilton and Vintage?  Absolutely amazing!  Taylor and her beautiful voice and Vintage rocking the night out!  Everybody just loved you both and we can’t wait to work with you again.  Thank you so much!!

Lastly, thank you to Shane Heit and Chris Hunter and the P4AC board – Cheryl-Lea, Anne Vogler, Brooke Wilkins-Penfold, Graham McColm and Kim Cooper and our ambassadors Kelly McKellar-Nathan and Melanie Roche.  Your continued support and in Shane and Chris’ case the continual pushing and driving made this night a reality.  All reports are that everybody had a spectacular time and they can’t wait for next year.  Nor can we and we can only get better from here on in!

So as you can see this is a big thank you note and the final thank you is to YOU!  To all of you who glammed up for the night and dug deep to help us raise funds for cancer research.  You are all simply amazing – THANK YOU!

Final figures will be advised once known.  In the meantime enjoy the photos from the night as supplied by Rose.

From P4AC to you – THANK YOU!

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Purchase your ticket by selecting your option below to ensure you come to what is going to be a great night – our inaugural Sportsman’s Dinner

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Camps Australia for every kid, for every day and for every camp that is held over the school holidays.

Sports Camps Australia run sport camps predominately in the school holidays nationally.

‘The synergies in promoting healthy activities between the two makes for a perfect match and is a leap forward for Play for a Cure in promoting our cause’, says P4AC founder Leigh Martyn.  ‘We are extremely grateful to SCA for this opportunity and look forward to working with them and raising much needed funds for cancer research’.

Additionally, FM Softball will match SCA’s contributions for every Softball Camp they hold, starting in December.

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UPDATE 4/12/15

NRL stars Sam Thaiday & Anthony Milford AND Justin Hodges (5 captains out of 9 are now playing!) are on board to play,   Can’t wait to see them ply their skills on the diamond!!!

Legends of the NRMA Brisbane Broncos Darren Lockyer, Kevin Walters, Gorden Tallis, Steve Renouf and other current and past Broncos Stars are taking to the Softball diamond to Play for a Cure for cancer this December. They will be battling it out against a team of Softball legends and current Australian representative players in the next big Play for a Cure Yellow Socks Charity Softball Challenge.

To be held on Saturday 5^th December at the Downey Park Softball Complex, the event will be hosted by the Play for a Cure Foundation and the Brisbane Softball Association.

Play for a Cure Softball legends will include current Australian Captain & Olympian Stacey Porter, current ‘Aussie Spirit’ player Chelsea Forkin as well as former Olympians Mel Roche and Haylea Petrie.  Australia’s longest serving softball captain and Olympian Joyce Lester will also be on hand to entertain the crowd.

The inspiration for the event comes from the sad passing in late 2009 of Jannita Dunn, elder sister of Rugby League great Gorden Tallis and also Deb McColm the wife of former long time Broncos kicking coach Graham McColm.

Both ladies had strong ties to the Brisbane Broncos and Brisbane Softball Association and for Graham and Gorden, it was only fitting to create an event in remembrance of them and to broaden the focus on others impacted by cancer.

The teams will wear yellow socks representing the daffodil flower used internationally as the flower and colour of HOPE for a cure to cancer.

Since the inaugural event five years ago, the Yellow Socks Charity Softball Challenge has grown each year and is expected to attract its biggest crowd this year.

This will be a fun day with two great curtain raiser games commencing from 9am to add to the carnival atmosphere.  These games will involve representative women and men from the Australian Defence Forces competing against representative Brisbane women and men.  This is a great opportunity to also support our Defence Forces personnel and for everyone to pitch in to help find a cure to cancer.

Fans will also get the unique opportunity to win a spot playing on either team by getting online and auctioning for a position in this wonderful event.

Auction winners are Selwyn Turner for the Broncos and Norelle Thomas for the P4AC Softball legends teams – well done Selwyn and Norelle!

The teams

All are welcome to attend this one-of-a-kind charity event.  Admission is free but a gold coin donation on entry would be appreciated.

In addition to all the action of the games on the day, there will also be a major raffle with great prizes, including a framed limited edition Broncos Jersey autographed by all nine Broncos Captains.  Plenty of food, BBQ, drinks, and the aforementioned Defence Forces representative games will add to the festive atmosphere of the day.

All funds raised will go to support cancer research programs supported through the Play for a Cure Foundation and to junior softball development through the Brisbane Softball Association.

Tax deductible donations can also be made directly by clicking here.

Media are also encouraged to attend the event.

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UPDATE 12/11/15

And the final piece of the puzzle falls into place, and what an exciting piece it is.  Anthony Milford, Brisbane Broncos current 5/8th and absolute excitement machine, is our final guest star that will be there on the 28th November (thank you Anthony and the Brisbane Broncos).  What an amazing bunch of athletes we have on board!

Be sure to secure your table, only 2 more days left to do so.

UPDATE 30/10/15

We are big fans of the AFL here at Play for a cure Foundation so I am sure you will join in with our excitement with the news that Simon Black is joining our fellow sports star on our guest panel.  There isn’t a lot that Simon hasn’t achieved.  A Brownlow Medallist, triple Premiership Player, Norm Smith Medal, All Australian honours.  Click on his name to learn more or better still, join us on the 28th November.  Read on below to find out how you can secure your tickets.

UPDATE 21/10/15

We are so excited to announce our latest guest sports star.  Jamaican netball SUPER star, 2 x  ANZ Championship Champion, and adopted Queenslander – Romelda Aiken!

UPDATE 15/10/15

We are thrilled to be able to introduce to you our emcee, Ben Dobbin and first 2 guest sporting superstar speakers – The Raging Bull Gorden Tallis, and Australian Softball Captain and arguably the world’s best batter, Stacey Porter.

Read on below to purchase your tickets.  More guests stars to be released soon!

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We are holding our first ever Sportsman’s Dinner!  To say we are excited is an understatement.

We are hosting some sporting greats on the 28th November, 2015 at the Broncos Leagues Club from 6pm.

With these sporting greats, being interviewed by our emcee, a 2 course meal, beverages, quality sporting memorabilia being auctioned live, entertainment AND the opportunity to be part of our first car raffle, why wouldn’t you want to part of our inaugural dinner?

Individual tickets are $100 each or $900 for a table of 10 (one ticket purchase).  Click below to reserve your spot as you don’t want to miss out on this event!

Sponsorship packages for your business are available – click here to learn more.

Please ensure you purchase your tickets by the 14th November and if you have any special requirements (seating requests, or food requirements), please email Leigh at leigh@playforacure.com.au.

Dress is semi-formal.

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AND THE WINNER, as drawn today, is DENISE MAGUIRE!

CONGRATULATIONS DENISE!

Thank you to each and every one of you who supported this event by either buying and/or selling tickets. We are thrilled with the result!

Play for a Cure Foundation is offering our first ever car.  By purchasing  a ticket you have the chance to win a:

HYUNDAI ACCENT
• 1.4 Petrol,
• 6 Speed Manual Transmission
• Keyless Entry / Central locking
• Bluetooth phone Connectivity
• 5’ Touch screen audio system/cd/aux/usb
• 5 year manufacturer’s warranty

Imagine just before Christmas 2015 getting the news that you have won a new Hyundai Accent.  That could be possibly your best Christmas present ever!

Tickets are available at the following prices:

1 ticket – $5

5 tickets – $20

10 tickets – $40

15 tickets – $50

As always you can purchase your ticket online by clicking on the link below.  Your tickets will be posted to you upon receipt of payment (by cash or PayPal).

The prize is drawn on the 20th December and the winner will be notified by email and/or mobile by 5pm on the draw date.  The winner will also be advertised here on our website and on our Facebook page.

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