Eric Young Golf Day postponed

ORGANISERS of the annual WorkSafe Eric Young Memorial Golf Day have postponed the event from next month until next year.

In an update sent out earlier this month, event organiser Tony Cockerell said after discussions with the Barwon Health Foundation and the RACV Torquay Resort, the parties agreed that the charity golf event would not be able to run in November but would be rescheduled to March 10, 2022.

“In short, we cannot in the current environment provide access to the numbers we have had over the last three to four years in the foreseeable future and I’m of the opinion that I don’t want to exclude anyone from participating,” Mr Cockerell said.

The Eric Young Memorial Golf Day supports the Barwon Health Foundation Kids Appeal and has raised just under $90,000 over the past three years to fund the construction of the gym within the rehabilitation centre, which will be the first of its kind in regional Victoria and cater for Geelong children and young adults with complex care needs.

The children’s gym with state-of-the-art equipment to help with walking, moving arms and hands and preparing children for physical play at home, playgrounds, and schools.

An innovative communal kitchen will allow families to sit, relax, meet, and chat.

At the same time, children, adolescents, and young people with complex care needs, can participate in therapeutic cooking activities. This can help with arm movement, thinking skills, problem solving, and physical function.

Quiet spaces for counselling, therapy and group programs will provide a warm, friendly, and homely environment, allowing families who may be under great stress to feel safe and cared for.

Teleconference facilities will improve the capacity to provide direct support to families across the region, allowing for conferencing and input from Melbourne-based specialist clinicians.

Despite a couple of small delays due to COVID, the project is progressing well and is still on track to open by the end of this year.

Through the generosity of the community and events such as the golf day, $3.48 million of the $3.6 million needed to complete the centre has been raised.

“Next year’s event will be special as we pass our target of $100,000 – currently we are sitting just over $89,000,” Mr Cockerell said.

“We look forward to presenting our cheque to the Barwon Health Foundation for the new centre’s gym fitout.”

He said he would send further details in early December to start the registration process, “hopefully, all vaxxed up, greater freedom and ready to go!”.