Classic golf day passes $45,000 in fundraising

THE sixth edition of the Jeff Wall Classic golf day has been run and won at Queenscliff Golf Course, and the fundraising efforts over the years have passed the $45,000 mark.

The annual event is run in honour of Jeff Wall, who unexpectedly died from a heart attack in 2017, and to raise money and awareness for the Heart Foundation.

Eight of Mr Wall’s regular Saturday golfing partners, including David O’Connor, played a round in his honour not long after Mr Wall’s death.

“It was pretty raw, it was only few months afterwards – we called it the Jeff Wall Classic on that day and had a pewter mug engraved and presented to the winner,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Then after that, we had a lot of people saying ‘We would have played in that’ so we thought about organising it properly.

“It subsequently grew to 20 the next year, then 60, then 85, and we had nearly 80 again this year at Queenscliff.”

A core group of about 40 of Mr Wall’s friends and acquaintances regularly play in the classic and secure sponsors each year, including regular sponsor Community Bank of East Ivanhoe and Heidelberg.

The event set a target of $3,000 in 2023 on the Heart Foundation website but more than doubled that figure, raising $6,683 as of Wednesday this week

“Up until this year, we’ve raised close to $40,000,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Over the years, we’ve had a couple of big years of fundraising, and we had about $6,000 this year, so the total will be about $46,000 now.”

He said the classic also put the spotlight onf those who were first responders to heart attacks, such as paramedics, police and lifesavers.

“These people are deeply affected by heart trauma too, and it’s something that we have a growing awareness of in our group – we acknowledge their courage and commitment.”

Heart disease remains Australia’s biggest killer, claiming 48 lives every day.

Donations to the Heart Foundation will go towards life-changing heart research, supporting health professionals working to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease, and providing heart-healthy programs and resources for everyday Australians.

All donations over $2 are tax-deductible.

For more information and to donate, head to doitforheart.org.au/fundraisers/JeffWallGolfClassic/jeff-wall-golf-classic-2023