Around $10,000 has been raised for Australian Breast Cancer Research, doubling the goal of a trio of Mount Gambier women fundraising for the cause.

Grant High School teacher Erin Launer was one of three organisers of The Longest Table event for the Hospital Research Foundation, held at the Limestone Coast Pantry over the weekend. Raising funds for cancer research, Ms Launer said her fundraising efforts were in honour of her late mother, Renee Tichbon, who sadly passed after a battle with cancer.

Ms Launer said her mother was an advocate for cancer research and someone who gave back, who was also part of clinical trials. Alongside Ms Launer in organising The Longest Table were two of her mother’s best friends, Callena Rawlings and Marita Chuck, with the trio originally setting out to raise $5000 in her memory. “It was just really about remembering her and doing something in her honour,” Ms Launer told The SE Voice.

But a successful silent auction and raffle, combined with ticket sales, saw them smash their goal “early into the night” at Saturday night’s event. Ms Launer said she intends to organise another The Longest Table in 2022. “It would be really cool if it became part of the social calendar of Mount Gambier,” she said.

Ms Launer added the event had “amazing support” from the business community, with more than 60 sponsors, the likes of which donated goods and prizes to be auctioned-off and used in the raffle. The event’s masters of ceremonies were Katie Fox and Alex Williams.