NEWS

Sincere thanks to everyone who joined us for the Foundation's Anniversary Ball and for all the many kind-hearted supporters who have been part of the NELUNE Foundation story.  

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us at the NELUNE Foundation Race Day and to all those who so generously supported the event. Your warmth and commitment made the event truly special and reminds us of the power of community and what can be achieved when people come together with compassion and purpose.

Thank for to all our supporters, partner, sponsors and ambassadors for a wonderful evening of celebration, joy and commitment to the cancer community.  You are truly heros.

Today marked another milestone with the opening of the St Vincent's NELUNE Men's Health Centre in Victoria Street Darlinghurst NSW. This first-of-a-kind facility is a place of compassion, excellence, and integrity providing world-class services and care for Prostate Cancer patients. Our grateful thanks to all our supporters who made this vision a reality.

Thank you to our wonderful NELUNE Foundation friends from the Olympic community for all their incredible support. With gratitude to Matt Aboud, Cate Campbell OAM, Elka Whalan, Giaan Rooney OAM, Petria Thomas OAM and Thomas Whalan.

Today, we stand with our dear friend and NELUNE Foundation ambassador Edwina Bartholomew, who courageously shared her diagnosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Her strength and bravery in facing this challenge is truly inspiring, as is her ability to meet it with the same determination and grace she brings to all aspects of her life. We know that healing isn't just physical - it's emotional and spiritual too. The collective support, strength, and love of the NELUNE Foundation family are with Edwina. May the journey ahead be filled with hope and healing.

The Nelune Foundation had the honour of officially meeting with Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia, to discuss the Foundation's impactful work over the past two decades.

Established to help patients fight cancer with dignity, the Foundation has provided essential services and support to those in need, ensuring that patients receive equality of care. The meeting served as an opportunity to introduce the Foundation to the new Governor General and highlight the achievements and future initiatives that align with its mission. The Foundation deeply appreciates the support from the Office of the Governor-General, which has been instrumental in expanding its reach and impact.

We sincerely thank Her Excellency for meeting us so soon after her appointment, and for graciously acknowledging the enormous community work of all our supporters.

The Hon. Ryan Park, NSW Minister for Health & Regional Health and Minister for the Illawarra & South Coast, visited the NELUNE Comprehensive Cancer Centre and the Cancer Survivorship Centre where he was given a comprehensive tour of the state-of-the-art facilities.

During his visit, the Minister engaged with many of the caring nurses, clinicians, specialists, and multidisciplinary team members who are dedicated to supporting patients at the NELUNE Centre.

The visit underscored the importance of ongoing collaboration and innovation, and Minister Park expressed his admiration for the commitment of the staff for the advanced care being provided at these Centres and to the supporters of the NELUNE Foundation for their wonderful contribution to the community.

The tour highlighted the essential services offered to patients, focusing on holistic care and survivorship, which are crucial in improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

Our grateful thanks to Professor Boon Chua, Jennie Barrie, and all the dedicated team at the NELUNE Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Prostate cancer is the number one diagnosed cancer in Australian males, with one in six men diagnosed by the age of 85 in 2022.

The NELUNE Foundation has committed to fund the establishment of a specialist Men's Health Centre, within the St Vincent's Healthcare Campus in Sydney.

This will provide revolutionary precision healthcare capabilities, social and psychological treatment, and support for all men with prostate cancer and their families. The service will care for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and this multi-disciplinary centre brings together medical, nursing, allied health personnel on-site and virtually. The service will also provide a specialised genetic screening and counselling program to men (and transgender women) who may be at an elevated risk of prostate cancer due to family history or genetic mutations.

The NELUNE Men's Health Centre, will leverage the power of the St Vincent's Healthcare Campus to:

• Provide public hospital patients with access to the latest ground-breaking treatments and minimally invasive procedures, enabling the best possible patient care.
• Address the unmet psycho-social, wellness and physical needs of men on their cancer journey through the development of a "one-stop" centre of care excellence.
• Incorporate new and innovative patient care models, with a focus on the development of the Men's Health Virtual Care Clinic.
• Support the ground-breaking clinical research being undertaken by St Vincent's Clinicians within the Theranostics and Nuclear Medicine Unit and at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, to transform clinical practice and treatment for all

A sincere thank you to all our supporters and everyone who came along to the Lilac Ball on Saturday night.

Thank you to Giaan Rooney for hosting and to all our guest speakers and our wonderful volunteers. We couldn't do it without you.

And to round out the night, music by MAHALIA BARNES + THE SOUL MATES. Can't wait for next year!

We are proud to announce that the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales and Mr Dennis Wilson have granted Vice Regal Patronage to the NELUNE Foundation.  On behalf of all the supporters and donors of the Foundation, we sincerely thank the Governor and Mr Wilson for this prestigious commitment. 

We send love and best wishes to all our Foundation community, friends and supporters during these difficult and uncertain times.

Assisting those who are at their most vulnerable is at the very heart of our mission of helping patients fight cancer with dignity.

In alignment with the current situation and state health measures, the Foundation will pause all of our scheduled events until the time is right. However please be assured that we remain fully on course to fulfil all our commitments to the various important and essential initiatives that we are funding.

As always we are so very immensely grateful and humbled by your kindness, generosity and support and assure you that we will not falter in our mission.

We are proud to announce that we've officially opened the doors to our Cancer Survivorship Centre at the Prince of Wales Hospital! Our patients will be so very grateful to have a sanctuary where they can have a little respite when they are going through some of the most challenging times of their lives. On their behalf, thank you all so very much for your kind generosity. We could not be more grateful and humbled by your support

Thank you most sincerely for coming together and joining us once again for the annual Lilac Ball. 

A huge thank you to Edwina Bartholomew and Giaan Rooney for co-hosting the Nelune Foundation Raceday on Saturday. Thank you also to our wonderful sponsors Optus, Liberty International Underwriters, Domayne Australia, Australian Fire Hoses, News Corp Australia, Seven Network, gifts.com.au, Shorty's Liquor and to all our wonderful ongoing supporters Cate Campbell,Bronte Campbell, Sonia Kruger, Charlene Bradley, DJ Dan & Hannah Devereaux. 

All proceeds from the NELUNE Foundation race day will go to the Rebecca Wilson Breast Cancer Research Fellowship at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.

On Saturday 8th September 2018 over 550 celebrities, media, corporate and special guests joined forces at the Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney to raise funds for NSW public cancer patients at the annual NELUNE Foundation Lilac Ball.

Thanks to all of our wonderful supporters, donors and friends we were given yet another opportunity to help patients fight cancer with dignity.

Edwina Bartholomew once again took over the reins as the MC, with Vince Sorrenti making sure everyone had a good laugh. Australia's beloved musical treasure Marcia Hines entertained the guests with a disco set.

There were amazing raffles and auction items including business class trip to London and swimming classes from two World Champions Ian Thorpe and Cate Campbell.

The Minister for Health and Medical Research the Hon. Brad Hazzard represented the Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian and spoke positively about the importance of the work of the Foundation.

Sonia Kruger, Elka and Thomas Whalan, Petria Thomas, Annabelle Williams and Cate & Bronte Campbell and Giaan Rooney were all in attendance and helped make the night the success it was.

Optus, Samsung, Seven Network, Accolade, Lion Nathan, Westpac, Macquarie Bank, KPMG, Emirates & Tourism Australia were some of the Corporates supporting the event.

Funds raised from this year's Lilac Ball will help support cancers patients with rare and uncommon cancers. Through a partnership with the Garvan Institute of Media Research the NELUNE Foundation will support patients through the Molecular Therapeutics and Screening Trial (MoST) – an innovative clinical trial which matches new therapies to patients with rare and uncommon cancer based on the individual molecular and genetic makeup of their tumour. Patients accessing MoST have advanced rare or uncommon cancer and, typically, have exhausted most other treatment options for their cancer. 

Thank you to all our supporters, friends and sponsors.

Thank you to all of our wonderful supporters, donors and friends in helping us raise vital funds to help patients fight cancer with dignity.

Thanks to the generosity of everyone involved this year, the Ball was bigger and better than ever. Edwina Bartholomew took over the reins as the MC, and Vince Sorrenti kept us in stitches. Jim Wilson introduced the incredible Dr. Christine Schaffer, our inaugural recipient of the Rebecca Wilson Breast Cancer Research Fellowship, and the inimitable Darryl Braithwaite headlined the night with the dance floor rocking to 'Howzat' and everyone singing along to 'Horses'.

There were raffles and auctions throughout the night, with prizes including a dinner for eight by Colin Fassnidge and a swim clinic for six run by World Champion and Gold Medal Olympian Cate Campbell.

The Minister for Health and Medical Research the Hon. Brad Hazzard represented the Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian and spoke about the importance of the work of the Foundation.

Sandra Sully, Andrew O'Keefe, Sally Obermeder, Elka and Thomas Whalan, Petria Thomas, Annabelle Williams and Cate Campbell were all in attendance and helped make the night the success it was.

Optus, Samsung, Seven Network, Accolade, Lion Nathan, CBA, IBM and Emirates were sofme of the many companies supporting the event.

Thank you for coming together and opening your hearts.

The 2017 Lilac Swim fundraiser at Bondi Icebergs was another enormous success for the Nelune Foundation. 

The picturesque Icebergs Pool and a sunny autumn day set the perfect backdrop for such an exciting event. We were lucky enough to be joined by many accomplished Olympians and Paralympians, including Liesel Jones, Kate Campbell, Libby Trickett, Petria Thomas, Justin Norris, Annabelle Williams, Prue Watt and Ellie Cole, to name a few. A special thanks to Giaan Rooney for calling the event.

With teams ranging across all age-groups and skill levels, the day kicked off with time-trial relays that would decide which teams ended up in the B-finals, and which would race it out for the Nelune Cup. Our teams fired off to an exciting start, with stand-out teams such as Watsons Bay Water-polo and DX solutions setting a tough precedent for the finals.

After the impressive standard had been set in a nail-biting finish, Watsons Bay Water-polo were just beaten at the line by the well-oiled Bondi Icebergs team, who took out the Nelune Cup in grand fashion. We would like to thank our generous supporters, in particular Optus Systems Pty Ltd, Transurban, Chargrill Charlies, Bondi Icebergs, BT Financial, Paul Reid, Charlene Bradley and Batyr/AIME.

A special mention to Thomas Whalan for helping us pull the swim together. We look forward to seeing everyone back in the pool next year.

Thanks to the wonderful people involved, the NELUNE Comprehensive Cancer center opening night was a great success, and a fitting launch for the new state of the art treatment and research facility. This world-class cancer center will allow patients to receive the best possible treatment all in one building, as opposed to having to commute from area to area. Additionally, the center will house state of the art cancer research facilities, as we fight for a cure, and work to improve treatment methods. 

Sunrise presenter Eddie Bartholomew kindly emceed the event, which was held at the Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre. She was joined by Olympian swimmer Giaan Rooney, and TV personality Sally Obermeder. A special thanks to longtime supporter of The Nelune Foundation and Optus chairman Paul O'Sullivan for his kind words at the event. Professor Robyn Ward AM, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Vice President (Research) University of Queensland, also spoke at the event. Associate Professor Boon Chua, Director of Cancer and Haematology Services at Prince of Wales Hospital and UNSW Professor of Medicine, said patients would have access to compassionate and research-driven cancer care.A big thank you to Robyn for her on-going support as an important driver of the Nelune Foundation. The NSW health minister, the Hon. Brad Hazzard, was also in attendance along with the former health minister, the Hon. Jillian Skinner who has been a strong supporter of the NELUNE foundation for many years. Many thanks to John Hartigan, husband of the late Rebecca Wilson for his support and attendance and sincere thanks to all of our donors, who have showed tremendous support. An honour wall has been erected at the new cancer center in appreciation for our kind donors and supporters.

Another, another amazingly successful NELUNE Foundation race day raising funds for the inaugural Rebecca Wilson Fellowship in Breast Cancer Research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research – thanks to all our sponsors and supporters.

We would also like to thank and make special mention to a number of people and businesses that made it possible. Domayne, Australian Fire Hose, Optus, DX Solutions, Liberty International Underwriters, Huawei, Seven Network, Gifts.com, Gai Waterhouse, Chris Waller, Accolade Wines, The Daily Telegraph, Rebecca Wilson's family, Angie Asimus, Edwina Bartholomew, Vince Sorrenti, DJ Dan, Gilles Novel and ModelCo.

View more photographs from the day here.

Long before her diagnosis, Rebecca Wilson supported a cancer charity never knowing she would fall victim to the illness. But her passion and legacy lives on through a fellowship in breast cancer research.

The NELUNE Foundation Charity Race Day 21 January 2016 at Randwick Racecourse. Proceeds will fund the Rebecca Wilson Breast Cancer Fellowship at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. 

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your support and generosity towards the NELUNE Foundation throughout 2016.

We achieved a number of milestones this year and wish to acknowledge your commitment and ongoing support towards the work we do.
In 2016:
• We made our final payment towards the completion of the Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Randwick in the Bright Alliance Building.
• Helped fund the establishment of a new Bone Marrow Transplant Ward at St Vincent's Hospital. Over the past 40 years patients have mainly been treated in a general ward in the public hospital however bone marrow transplantation is a stressful and difficult time for patients with blood cancers. Doctors are now confronted with the increasing problem of infections in blood cancer patients which are resistant to multiple antibiotics. We can help combat this problem with the use of single rooms for all patients in the ward rather than patients sharing. This new ward will provide protective isolation rooms with "negative" airflow, to minimise the risk of infection when transplant patients are at their most vulnerable.)
• Donated three portable dialysis machines to the Intenstive Care Unit at St Vincent's Hospital. This next-generation technology treats critically ill patients who have developed acute kidney injury, removing a build-up of waste products in the blood to allow the body to keep the right balance of fluid).
• Transported over 500 patients to hospitals in Sydney Metro area (St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney Kids Hospital, Westmead Children's Hospital, Prince of Wales Randwick, St George Hospital Kogarah, Royal Prince Alfred, Ryde Hospital, Bankstown and Canterbury and Liverpool Hospitals)
• Established the inaugural Rebecca Wilson Breast Cancer Research Fellowship at the Garvan Medical Research Institute. This fellowship is a lasting legacy to sports journalist, the late Rebecca Wilson. The recipient of this Fellowship is Dr Christine Chaffer, a gifted breast cancer researcher who will be returning to Australia from the United States to take up this important role.

Thank you once again for your enormous support and generosity. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy festive season and all the best for 2017.

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research is proud to be the recipient of the Rebecca Wilson Fellowship in Breast Cancer Research. This fellowship, generously funded by the NELUNE Foundation, is awarded to a young female scientist at Garvan, and is a lasting legacy to sports journalist, the late Rebecca Wilson.

The inaugural recipient of the Rebecca Wilson Fellowship in Breast Cancer Research is Dr Christine Chaffer, a gifted breast cancer researcher who will be returning to Australia from the United States to take up this important role.

Dr Chaffer's research at Garvan will aim to determine the role and mechanism of breast cancer cell plasticity (the ability of a cancer cell to adapt and change its composition) in disease development and metastasis. By understanding these processes, and discovering how to halt them, it is hoped that personalised therapies can be developed that will, ultimately, improve breast cancer survival rates and provide a pathway to a cure.

Of the appointment, Professor David Thomas, Director of The Kinghorn Cancer Centre and Head of Garvan's Cancer Division said, "The Rebecca Wilson Fellowship in Breast Cancer Research provides a means for one of Australia's brightest research talents to return to Australia. We are delighted to welcome Dr Chaffer to the Garvan Institute in 2017, and are sincerely grateful to the NELUNE Foundation, and to Rebecca Wilson's family for recognising the importance of this research."

For more information about the fellowship, Dr Chaffer's work, and Rebecca Wilson's long-standing commitment to supporting those diagnosed with cancer, read this recent news article.

The Fellowship will officially be launched in February 2017.