Expect a belly laugh and a flood of tears at the 2017 Orana Relay for Life at Dubbo’s Barden Park this weekend.
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“It’s a bit of a roller coaster of emotions some times,” organising committee chairman Jason Dearmer candidly told the Daily Liberal on Thursday.
Emotions aside, he’s determined that the event organised by a dozen volunteers across the past 12 months will be a success.
Mr Dearmer said money raised from the overnight relay will go “towards (cancer) education and support services in the Orana region as well as research into treatment and prevention”.
“I believe it’s important to have local programs and services in place within the Orana region,” he said.
The 2017 organising committee has set out to raise $70,000 for Cancer Council NSW, $7000 more than the $63,000 collected in 2016.
Mr Dearmer said it was looking to boost the number of registered participants who jumped from 426 in 2015 to 618 in 2016.
“We’ve put in a lot of planning to try and attract people along to the event,” he said.
Entertainment and activities at the relay will include for the first time “midnight madness” involving people running or walking five kilometres around Barden Park’s track.
“Dubbo’s got such a great running community and midnight madness is something new and different to try,” Mr Dearmer said.
Fun and laughter across the 18-hour event will be interspersed with the distress of participants who have lost loved ones to cancer.
You don't need to walk the track to be part of Relay for Life
- Jason Dearmer, chairman of the 2017 Orana Relay for Life organising committee
Mr Dearmer freely admits to being affected “quite a bit” after the 2016 relay’s Hope Ceremony.
“It is the heart of the event and a very emotional part of Relay for Life,” he said.
Mr Dearmer has appealed to regional residents who have never taken part in the relay to “come any time and be part of the event”.
“You don’t need to walk the track to be part of Relay for Life,” he said. “You just come along and be part of the community at the event.”
The 2017 and 11th Orana Relay for Life will kick off at 3pm on Saturday and run until 9am on Sunday. Registrations will be accepted on Saturday afternoon to the “smoke, drug and alcohol free” event. The theme of this year’s relay is “athletics” with participants encouraged to dress up.
Dubbo hosted the first Orana Relay for Life in 2002.
