The EOS Ballroom at SkyCity felt like the heart of The Ashes yesterday, as Lord Ian Botham and Damien Fleming went head-to-head in true rivalry style, with Max Burford keeping the banter flowing like a Test match on Day Five. The stories, laughs, and insights were pure gold.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and helped turn this event into a winning innings for bowel cancer prevention and early detection.

Our Founder & Chair, Nick Lee OAM, briefly shared the deeply personal story behind the Foundation. How he created it in memory of his wife, Jodi Lee, who tragically lost her life to bowel cancer at just 41. Jodi was not only his wife but the loving mother of their two young children. Jodi’s passing inspired Nick to take action so that no other family would have to endure the same heartbreak. For the past 15 years, the Foundation has worked tirelessly in her honour to raise awareness, promote early detection, and ultimately save lives.

We’re also extremely grateful to Jodi Lee Bowel Cancer Foundation Ambassador and founder of 25StayAlive, Hugo Toovey, for bravely sharing his journey. Diagnosed with bowel cancer at just 26, Hugo’s story, including his recent update about living with a stoma, was heartfelt, inspiring, and a critical reminder that bowel cancer isn’t an old person’s disease.

Special thanks to our amazing sponsors: Schiavello, KWP+Partners, ShowcaseSA and SkyCity Adelaide. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank you also to all businesses and individuals who donated items, vouchers and experiences for including in our raffle.

Finally, a big shout-out to our volunteers from People’s First Bank and some of the junior players from Glenunga Cricket Club for helping sell raffle tickets. Thanks to your efforts, we raised over $14,000 through the raffle and our cricket back auction to continue our life-saving work in bowel cancer prevention and early detection.