Big Freeze is back

By Lachlan Ellis

The Bacchus Marsh and Greendale communities, in conjunction with Bacchus Marsh Football and Netball Club, are coming together once again to host the Big Freeze in the Marsh this Saturday.

Raising funds and awareness for FightMND, this year’s slide will be MC’d by Doug Hawkins, who will no doubt take great delight in pushing the sliders into the icy waters after braving the slide himself last year.

This year’s event will take place at Maddingley Park at 1.45 pm, and will be held in memory of Greendale’s Phil O’Keefe, who fought hard against MND since being diagnosed in May 2015, but sadly passed away on 25 May this year.

Mr O’Keefe was the face of the Big Freeze in the Marsh, and participated in the trial of ‘Stentrode’ implant technology to help future sufferers of the condition.

Event coordinator Anne Phyland said it was people like Mr O’Keefe that would see the beast that is MND be finally defeated.

“What Phil has done with the Stentrode trial is incredible. People like Phil, people like Neale Daniher, making sacrifices in the face of adversity and wanting to make a difference, even though it wouldn’t benefit them in their lifetime, finding opportunities to help people from such an awful diagnosis, are so important in this fight,” Ms Phyland told the Moorabool News.

“This year we’ll be sliding in Phil’s memory basically. It’s fairly raw and quite an emotional time, but this was certainly one of Phil’s last wishes, that he wanted this to go ahead and nominated two of his friends to slide this year. He was passionate that this should continue, and continue raising awareness and funds for this cause.”

What makes MND so terrifying, and so worthy of fighting, Ms Phyland said, is that it’s “one of very few things where you get a diagnosis, and it’s basically there’s nothing you can do”.

“The Bacchus Marsh and Greendale communities have been so supportive, banding together with the football club. It’s something we feel really passionate about. We’re hoping to get a good crowd to honour Phil’s memory – it’ll be a really special and emotional day,” she said.

“This awful disease takes so much from people. With many people fighting MND, it takes away everything, and there’s no hope without a treatment or a cure. To me, that’s just terrifying, and no-one should have to endure that.”

The goal for this year’s Big Freeze in the Marsh is to raise $25,000, with all funds going to FightMND for vital research into finding treatments and a cure for MND.

To donate, head to Maddingley Park this Saturday at 1.45pm, or visit bit.ly/BigFreeze2023.