Tamworth Squash Club members go the distance to help raise funds for the Cancer Council. Photo: Robert Chappel
TWO marathon efforts were undertaken in the north over the weekend, raising funds for charity.
An Armidale shearer fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis managed to shear in excess of 400 sheep and raise $30,000, and a group of Tamworth Squash Club members went the distance to raise funds for the Cancer Council.
Fifty people of all ages hit off over the 24 hours of the squash marathon held at the Tamworth squash courts.
The tennis-elbow- causing marathon be- gan at 10am on Saturday and ended at 10am yesterday.
Throughout the festivities participants dress- ed in costume to add some fun to the event.
One willing male volunteer, “Rob”, also had his legs waxed for a cure.
Organiser of the event, Paul Pitney, said the group had done really well.
“The aim was to try and have games running non-stop on the show court ,” he said.
“We did that into the wee hours of the morning and at other times we had matches running on all three courts simultaneously.”
The group had hoped to raise about $2000.
“With some generous donations we are well on the way to achieving that,” he said.
The final fundraising total was yet to be counted yesterday afternoon.
Away from the racquets and up the hill in Armidale, the shears were clicking away rapidly.
Brett Cameron set out to shear as many sheep as he could at 7.30am on Friday with the goal of raising $10,000.
By 7.30am on Saturday he had braved below zero temperatures in an Armidale shed, shorn more than 400 sheep and raised about $30,000 – three times his original target.
Brett came up with the idea for his mega-shear while shearing sheep in a shed a close family friend who passed away from MS had built.
“I reckon I could turn this shearing into a fundraiser. Yeah, 24 hours of shearing would be a great way to raise some money to help find a cure for MS,” he told friends when announcing his plans.
In the 12 months leading up to the marathon event Brett, 29, undertook a strict training regimen.
At the successful completion of the shear on Saturday morning his father David presented him with a golden shearing blade to commemorate his achievements.
Proving his commitment to other causes Brett rushed off to his third grade rugby semi-final at midday.
