By RUSSELL BENNETT
DO you know how your father died?
This straight-forward question asked by Australian Football Hall of Famer David Parkin on Friday at the 2015 Casey Cardinia Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch has the potential to save lives.
Parkin, a Hawthorn premiership captain and four-time premiership coach across a career at the Hawks and Carlton, is a prostate cancer survivor.
The disease claimed the lives of both his father and grandfather, and he urged the more than 380 men in attendance at the Cardinia Cultural Centre on Friday to learn more about their genealogy.
The event, in its second year, was a roaring success – eclipsing last year’s in terms of both attendance and money raised for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
Well in excess of $53,000 – last year’s total – was raised, with the final tally still to be finalised.
Paul Thomas, managing director of the 106-year-old Star News Group, which produces the Gazette, attended a similar Warragul event a few years ago and declared his interesting in hosting one in the local area.
This year, Star, Car Megamart, SJD Homes, Khans Catering, the Casey Cardinia Foundation and the Bendigo Bank were just some of the many sponsors who threw their weight behind the event, while Brian Paynter again served as the master of ceremonies and his nephew Sam Paynter of LJ Hooker ran the auctions.
A dozen local ladies put their hands up to wait tables and the Rotary Club of Pakenham slaved away over a hot stove since 9am cooking the meat.
The committee – including Paul Thomas, Star News Group editor Garry Howe, Dan O’Loughlin, Brendan Fitzsimmons, John Babaressoss, Jack Mitchell, Damien McKenna, Norm Davidson, Andrew Pomeroy and Brian Paynter – also put countless hours of hard work into staging the event.
Prostate cancer sufferer Chris McPherson from McPherson Media Group came up with the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch concept seven years ago and held the first event in Shepparton. There are now about a dozen held across Victoria and southern New South Wales and they have collectively raised over $1.6 million for prostate cancer research and awareness initiatives through Aussie blokes attending and supporting the events in their local communities.
On Friday, a $1000 cheque was handed over to Parkin as a patron and participant for the Male Bag Ride – involving blokes on ex-‘Postie’ bikes. The ride aims to capture the spirit and adventure of a good old fashioned road trip, while also raising awareness and funds to fight prostate cancer. Some in the crowd on Friday expressed an interest in joining Parkin on the ride.
As part of the festivities at the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch, comedian Russell Gilbert had the room in stitches, while Carlton premiership star and 278-gamer Anthony Koutoufides regaled the audience with tales of his playing career – which in most part was played under Parkin as coach.
The two were never believed to have shared the closest of relationships in their time at Carlton, and Parkin admitted when he got to chapter five of Koutoufides’ book ‘Kouta’ he was “in pieces”.
But Koutoufides, who also spoke about his win on the 2006 series of ‘Dancing With the Stars’, used Friday to praise Parkin and even share a warm embrace.
“Every time I see him, I stand almost six feet taller,” said the 42-year-old two-time All Australian about Parkin.
But there was almost no opportunity for ‘Kouta’ to pay tribute to his former coach.
He called Howe earlier in the day, asking him “what time are we on tonight?”.
Good thing he called. The event started before noon.
According to the Cancer Council of Australia website, approximately 22,000 Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually, joining close to 120,000 Aussie men who are already living with the disease.
Close to 3300 men will die each year of prostate cancer, and every man has a one in five chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer by the time they’re 85.
