Hundreds of people turned out at Penola’s McCorquindale Park on Saturday to witness nine brave community members get dunked in a tank of ice to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease research.
The Penola Football Club hosted the Big Freeze 10, which was a huge success with the local community raising a staggering $35,488 through donations, sponsorship for the dunkers, sales of Big Freeze Beanies, as well as various raffles and online auctions held during the past few months.
The bumper crowd in attendance was entertained by local identities dressed up in the likes of Dusty Martin, Gumby, Queen Elsa and the Super Mario Brothers.
Penola Football Club President Matt Tilby was one of the dunkers on the day, hitting the ice dressed as iconic character Alan from The Hangover movie series.
“It was amazing to see so many people from the community outside of the football club there on the day supporting such a great cause,” he said.
“The event brought different people together, raised great money, and we all had a lot of fun doing it.”
Mr Tilby was quick to add the “cold water not much fun though”.
Mr Tilby also acknowledged the Moulton family for their commitment to the cause and said he was delighted the football club had been involved in helping the event’s success.
Charmaine Moulton, one of many organiser and volunteers to enable the event to grow from strength to strength since 2022, praised the community’s generous spirit and said she wanted to thank the community and the Penola Football Club for their involvement.
Ms Moulton said there were already discussions under way about making the next event bigger and better.
Prior to Saturday’s fundraiser, the local community had already raised approximately $20,000 since 2022.
The weekends efforts have boosted vital funds to ‘tame the beast’ that is MND to a total of over $55,000.
Meanwhile, the Hatherleigh Football and Netball Club are once again holding a Big Freeze on Saturday to coincide with the matches against Glencoe.
Beanies, lucky squares, raffle tickets and cupcakes will be on sale to Fight MND, while organiser Kate Nowak and her team have managed to secure the Dunk Tank again.
Several Hatherleigh, Glencoe and league identities will be plunged into an icy tank mid-afternoon during half-time of A Grade football.
They include Cam Atkinson, Mat Faulkner, Maddie Redman, Staci Faulkner, Deon Howell, Peter Mitchell, Ted Peacock and Dasher Young.
Kate has set a fundraising target of $10,000 and dozens of sponsors have already come forward with cash donations to the Fight MND cause.
She was Wattle Range Council Kintore Ward’s 2024 Australia Day Active Citizen of the Year.
As a dedicated resident of Beachport, Kate has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the town and residents.
Kate’s exceptional fundraising initiatives for Fight MND showcase her compassion and dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of those affected by this debilitating disease.
