By Callum Ludwig
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Wandin’s Biggest Morning Tea in support of the Cancer Council.
Held on Thursday 23 May at the Mont De Lancey Historic Homestead, the museum was converted into an opportunity for a cuppa, a cake and a chat with others who have had cancer impact their lives.
Nola Sharp helped start the now-yearly event 20 years ago and said when you start something, and it becomes a success, there’s absolutely no reason why you should stop doing it.
“We used to have it down at the Wandin Hall, which is enormous but it has no atmosphere and is very hard to heat and we did that for maybe 10 years and then Mont de Lancey offered this facility, and it just suits us so well and they allow us to come and set up,” she said.
“The community of Wandin are so generous in every way, and this is just another thing that they support, just like the sporting clubs and the fire brigade, and it just goes on and on really.”
Over $40,000 has been raised over the 20 years of events in Wandin, while the committee were also invited to The Langham in Southbank for a Cancer Council event where they found out it was the second-longest running Biggest Morning Tea event in attendance.
Ms Sharp said a helper in the early years named Sarah McPherson had also painted a trees, the Dedication Tree, which has become a regular feature of the event.
“Since the very first year, we’ve cut out leaves, and people put names of people that they’ve come to honour in raising funds for the Cancer Council, which we think is lovely,” she said.
“We keep them all and the books are displayed this year, we haven’t displayed them before, but they’ve got every person that has ever written someone’s name in there.”
The tables were adorned with cones or other cakes, a cuppa was available for a gold coin donation and a bountiful raffle was set to be drawn as part of the event.
Committee member Alison Jones said there’s a bit that goes into the event but it’s such a great commitment to cancer research and supporting loved ones, survivors and those who have lost the battle with cancer.
“When we started, Lisa Rouget (Vincent) said she wanted to start because she had just lost her mum through a battle to cancer and I never envisaged that three years ago I would have lost my mum to cancer and the same thing would be applied to me,” she said.
“It’s just a great way of getting together with people who understand what you’ve been through or are going through but there’s a wonderful warmth and connection you feel with those people and you might only see them once a year, but you look forward to it like an anniversary.”
Anyone who couldn’t donate in person on the day can still do so at biggestmorningtea.com.au/fundraisers/wandin/biggest-morning-tea-vic.
Committee member Carmel Pignataro said the event means the world to her.
“My husband was born and bred in Wandin and I lost him to cancer eight years ago so for me I feel like I’m doing this for him each and every year and it’s lovely,” she said.
“I think the community all gets together and we share our stories about our loved ones but also being in Wandin is the most important for me because this community is just beautiful and they helped me through the grief of losing my husband.”
