Founder and chairperson of Sunbury’s Relay For Life committee Shara Turner continues to pass on the spirit of celebrating and fundraising for those touched by cancer.
Ms Turner and a friend started the Sunbury Relay For Life event in 2011 after years of travelling to Albert Park to join the relay event there.
“Between the two of us, we took on seven committee roles to get it running,” she said of the Sunbury event. “I’ve been with it ever since. I can’t seem to walk away.”
Ms Tuner said experiences close to home fuelled her desire to continue to raise funds for Cancer Council’s research, prevention and support services – her mother won a fight with bowel cancer 21 years ago; in 2014 her father died from oesophageal cancer.
“When it’s your parents it takes on a whole new meaning,” Ms Turner said.
Three generations of women in Ms Turner’s family now join in Sunbury’s event.
Ms Turner’s mother helps with catering, while her daughter has been participating “since she was knee-height to a grasshopper.”
Work for this year’s event is well under way. A trivia night will kick off fundraising efforts at the Sunbury Bowling Club from 7pm on Saturday, August 12. Tickets are $20, call 0419 546 099 to book.
Relay for Life will be held on the weekend of November 11-12.
Details: www.relayforlife.org.au/get-involved/register.
