Bowls Victoria & Pancare Unite

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Bowls Victoria is delighted to announce Pancare Foundation as its new charity partner.

Pancare has become a familiar name around Victorian bowls clubs after Chris O’Meagher brought the organisation to the bowls forefront during his battle with pancreatic cancer.

The two organisations first joined forces in 2018 when Pancare become the official charity partner of the Victorian Open. It was Chris’ goal to attend the tournament to promote a cause close to his heart, but sadly, it wasn’t to be.

“Chris had a formidable presence around many bowling greens in Australia and since his passing the Victorian bowls community has rallied around the charity through fundraising,” said Tony Sherwill, Chief Executive Officer at Bowls Victoria.

“A partnership with Pancare was a natural fit for bowls, and I hope that all Clubs will consider supporting this partnership when they host their next event or open day.”

The partnership aims to provide mutual benefits to Bowls Victoria and Pancare by raising awareness of pancreatic cancer among Clubs and players, promoting bowls to patients and their families as a low impact activity they can enjoy together, and encouraging clubs to support Pancare by incorporating the charity into fundraising activities.

Pancare Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Barry Westhorpe, welcomed the charity partnership.

“We are thrilled to have the support Bowls Victoria and the wider bowling community, take up the challenge with us in the fight against pancreatic and upper gastrointestinal cancers. These cancers have some of the lowest survival rates out of all the major cancers due to a lack of early detection and progress in research.

“We’re dedicated to raising the profile of these diseases by ensuring all Australians know the signs and symptoms to look out for as well as providing patient support services and investing into research for early detection and innovative treatment options.

“We look forward to working together to achieve better outcomes in memory of Chris and the thousands of Australians impacted each year by these insidious diseases.”

Pancare was established to be the long-standing voice of those affected by liver, biliary and foregut cancers, working to save and improve lives through public awareness, research, education and support.

The survival rates for the majority of patients with these cancers have remained poor for decades. Funding continues to remain severely low, which sees these forms of cancers under-funded and under-researched.

As the only charity of its kind in Australia, Pancare supports world-leading research and delivers programs designed to address individual and changing patient needs, from the point of diagnosis through to recovery and bereavement.

Bowls Victoria has already started the ball rolling donating over $1,700 to kick start the partnership. Bowls Victoria and Pancare look forward to announcing joint initiatives in the coming months. To learn more about Pancare, please visit www.pancare.org.au