POLICE and Community have come together for a celebration of local generosity.
The occasion was the distribution of funds raised from the annual Hawks Nest Police Charity Golf Day.
“It’s Community and Policing at its best, it doesn’t get much better than this,” Port Stephens Superintendent Chris Craner said.
$6,500 was raised from last year’s event at the Hawks Nest Golf Club.
Tea Gardens Senior Constable Dave Coyle paid tribute to the organisers, and officers, current and former, who helped stage the event and recruit the sponsors.
“We go to all the businesses, they see us coming, and they say it can’t be that time again,” Constable Coyle said with a smile.
Former Officer Norm Webber continues to be a driving force behind the charity day despite his own ill health.
It’s that struggle which led to a donation being made to the Mark Hughes Foundation for research into brain cancer.
“I’m very honoured that our Foundation has been chosen,” Mark Hughes told the gathering.
The former Newcastle Knights player also spoke of his own battle with cancer.
‘’At 36 year of age I had a few headaches and before I knew it, I was in John Hunter Hospital, having a tumour removed and undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.’’
“Life can change like that.”
Brain cancer is one of the biggest childhood killers in youngsters under 10 and adults 40 and under.
“It’s through events like this that helps us put a brain cancer care nurse at John Hunter Hospital so that every patient and family that goes there have an angel helping them through their journey,” Mark said.
Other local beneficiaries included the Tea Gardens Primary School and Nippers from the Tea Gardens/ Hawks Nest Surf Lifesaving Club.
“We found out the Nippers didn’t have any training boards, so we were able to fund six boards,” Dave Coyle said.
Donations were also made to the new boxing gym for youngsters run by Senior Constable Rob Wylie and the Free Clinic Bus.
“I’ve lived in many towns around New South Wales and overseas and I have never lived in a place where people are so giving of their time and/or money to support things that are local,” Clinic Bus Co-Ordinator Anne-Marie Fowler told News Of The Area.
By Margie TIERNEY
