Fundraising tournament for ladies run by the Glen Eden Bowling Club raises $1083 for the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
The members of the Glen Eden Bowler Club wanted to show their support for research into breast cancer, so called for entries to a lawn bowls tournament for ladies from clubs over the wider Auckland region. The aim was to see the club green full of ladies in pink enjoying some great lawn bowls and raising money for a good cause, the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, and that’s what they achieved.
The tournament was fully subscribed with 54 players in teams of three from all over Auckland as well as a team who travelled down from Dargaville. Many of the organisers and players were listening to heavy rain at 6am on the morning of the tournament with sinking hearts, but luckily the offending clouds moved on and the sun shone on the green for most, if not all of the day, with the third game losing just ten minutes to a heavy shower at the close of play. Inside the clubhouse volunteers from the club put on sandwiches and savories for lunch and a delightful high tea with glasses of pink champagne.
Club President Graeme Ward ran the raffles and auctions, expressing the club’s thanks to sponsors who helped to support the event; Chris Pegg & Leanne Greer, Allan Jensen & Clive Shatwell from Barfoot & Thompson Glen Eden, Yvonne & Peter Lipsham. Those that contributed to raffles: Jenny Tough (the beautiful basket), Judy Olssen, Fay Downing, Little India Glen Eden, and The Trusts.
The event was also a chance for participants to remember friends and family who had died from breast cancer, with a short silence at the start of the day and a “Sista’s board” in place for attendees to write the names of family and friends that were in our thoughts on the day, undergoing treatment, survivors, and those that have passed. Karen Watts gave a short talk about the Henderson branch of Breast Cancer Support group that she runs.
Sponsor and bowler Chris Pegg spoke later at the prizegiving about the reason she wanted to be involved in the tournament, expressing the thoughts of many there:
On a slightly serious note I’m absolutely thrilled to see everyone here. Thank you, the ladies who bowled, the men who helped us, that’s fantastic.
The reason why Mat and I and my sister were quite keen to support this tournament was, we’ve been family that had been really blessed by good health, four kids, my mum and dad, everyone’s still alive and my sister a couple of years ago was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of 47 and just looking back, we know that nine women are diagnosed on average per day, 600 die a year, but importantly 30% of woman are not in a screening program. And my sister wasn’t, and so if her condition had been diagnosed a lot earlier she wouldn’t have gone through the extensive surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, reconstruction, etc. And even though I was a nurse I hadn’t realized you put your life on hold for at least two years while you go through all of this, the numerous times to ED and all that. The impact on families and friends that we don’t often acknowledge as well. So, I just implore everyone, and this is for guys as well; where there is the chance for screening do it, it’s really worth it.
So thank you very much, thanks to Paul, thanks to Judy, thanks to everyone who organised it and of course everyone that participated. I just think it’s been a great event and we’re really keen to sponsor something like this next year. Thank you.
Paul Stier, who did a great job running the tournament on the day, even donated his own shirt (“TOUGH TITTIES”) to the cause and raised $85.00. He was last seen going out of the club in a Carlton ladies bowling bag.
Final placings
1st New Lynn Rhianne Tippett(skip),Rachel Hancock, Carol Berry.
2nd Milford B C Jan Hutton(s). 3rd Glen Eden Siosiana Simpson(s). 4th Glen Eden Judy Raill(s). 5th Glen Eden Rae McKie (s). 6th Titirangi RSA Karen Kuzimski (s).
Contact details
- Breast Cancer Foundation 09 304 0766, www.breastcancerfoundation.org.nz
- Breast Cancer Support 0800 273 222, www.breastcancersupport.co.nz
