About Fight on the Beaches
In 2014, 8 Northern Beaches women who had all been affected by cancer came together with the common goal of funding a cancer cure. As a result, Fight on the Beaches, a fundraising group dedicated to funding a cure for cancer through funding Australian cancer researchers in the lab, came to be.
For the past 9 years the Fight on the Beaches Executive Committee has hosted many events including its signature annual ‘Christmas in July’ Charity Ball, which has, thanks to the support of the local community, raised in excess of $2 MILLION for Australian cancer research. So far, Fight on the Beaches has funded thirteen research projects, equating to thirteen additional years of research.
We are committed to providing an avenue for local businesses and the community to support cancer research through their support and attendance at our annual Charity Ball, and other fundraising events held throughout the year.
Due to Covid 19, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our annual charity ball. However we will be hosting smaller, more intimate events throughout the year which you can read about here and returning for our ‘Christmas in July’ Charity Ball for our 10 year anniversary in 2024.
Fight on the Beaches fundraises for Fight for a Cure Ltd, whose principal goal is to raise money to fund cancer research, and to fund local community based early detection and prevention programs on the Northern Beaches.
Each Committee Member would like to take this opportunity to dedicate our fundraising to those we have lost to cancer, who are currently fighting or who have fought back and won:
Kenneth Loneon – 29 Dec 1946 – 11 Aug 2010
Doris Begaud – 25 Aug 1916 – 31 Jan 2001
Maureen Jeziorny – 1 February 2015
Neve Brady – 6 Jan 2010 – 21 Oct 2014
Elizabeth (Lila) Comans – 1920 – 1999
Lyn Hyslop – July 2013
Ron Killalea – 1999
David Kliskey - 16 Feb 1943 - 5 May 2011
Kim Snoeys – 26 December 2007
Joan Buehler – Survived!
Karen Ganley – 1973 – 2012
Helen Stedman – 8 Aug 1948 – 28 Oct 2013
Alexandra Smith – 17 May 79 – 19 Feb 2016
Tim Cussell – 19 Dec 1982 – 1 May 2016
Bridget Cooper – June 1971 – 3 Apr 2013
Margaret Wells – 12 Mar 1951 - 14 Jan 2014
Kerri Ryan – Survived!
Murray McPhail – 1947 – 2006
Neil Kemp – 1980 – 2014
Lachlan Robertson – 1978 – 2013
Ray Comans – 1919 – 1981
Alise Andrew – Fighting!
Nikki Montague – December 2007
Margaret McLay – October 2014
Michael Downman – Survived!
Kim Ballard – Survived!
John Cleverdon – 2 Aug 1947 – 1 Dec 1999
Lachlan Muldoon – 27 Dec 04 – 13 Oct 2015
Fight on the Beaches was formed by 8 women in November 2013, after Michelle Heaton-Armstrong put a post up on a local Facebook page asking for local women to come to together to fight back against cancer. Without these 8 women, Fight on the Beaches would never have raised so much in its first year, nor laid the foundations for the success to follow. The following 8 women formed the ‘Founding Committee’:
Michelle Heaton-Armstrong
Meghann Parker
Rachel Sadler
Erin Downman
Kerri Ryan
Debby Wall
Sarah van Bree
Colleen Camelin
