Pink perfection wins community event of the year

Raising funds and awareness for breast cancer has long been a focus of the Robe Golf Club.

It started with a pink pig where players would donate at their weekly Wednesday events, with novelty fees for transgressions including three-putting and bad language, and at the end of every year the proceeds were donated to a breast cancer cause.

Robe Golf Club captain Marg Lawrie said it was five years ago that the club and ladies committee instigated a Tee Off for Breast Cancer Awareness Day and not surprisingly, as the event really starts to hit tis straps, it was honoured as the Community Event of the Year at the 2024 Australia Day Awards.

Held every October, Marg and her team work with the national body and then get to work promoting the event locally, securing sponsorship and all the other associated logistics with the now popular event.

“In the weeks leading up to the event some of the ladies members walk the streets of Robe interacting with local businesses who generously donate items or money for the cause,” Marg said. “On the day we have raffles, putting competitions and a massive auction using all the donated items from generous members and local businesses alike with items ranging from money, water pumps, flowers, artwork, dinners, boat trips, prawns and lots of other items.”

There is, of course, plenty of action on the course, with a Mixed Ambrose.

“Everyone gets into the spirit of the day, dressing in pink and spending lots of money,” Mag said. “You don’t have to know how to play golf to be involved on the day.”

Last year, Tait and Tait (Real Estate Robe) came on board as the major sponsor, donating a large sum of money and providing pink and black hats on the day for everyone playing.

Each year for the past five years the Robe Hotel has generously allowed the ladies to sell their raffle tickets on a Friday night and half the takings are donated to the Robe Golf Club for the Breast Cancer Awareness cause.

The five year fundraising tally sits just shy of $35,000

“We, as a club are very proud of what we have achieved and to be recognised by the Robe District Council with the 2024 Australia Day Event of the Year is an absolute highlight,” Marg said. “We are celebrating 100 years of our Robe Golf Club this year 1924 to 2024 so what a wonderful start to the year and golfing season.

“We are very passionate about our fundraising as some sort of cancer has touched all of us at some stage.”

Last year the club also introduced a Men’s Health/Bowel Cancer Day in honour of one of its past members and this year are looking to establish a Brain Cancer Fundraising Day to honour one of the club members’ best friends who was just learning golf and passed away late last year.

“We are a very tight knit membership and love to look out for and help each other.”