Baldivis mum brews up fundraising event

It was after losing a much-loved cousin to cancer several years ago that Baldivis mum Tracy Gschwendtner decided to embark on a fundraising crusade.

The mum of two has raised thousands of dollars through her yearly morning tea events.

This year she hopes her morning tea — which will raise funds for the Cancer Council of WA — will be bigger and better than ever.

“This is the fifth year that I have held a morning tea — I just felt like it was something I was supposed to do,” she said.

“I lost my cousin at the age of 24 and several people I know have been affected by cancer since then.”

Mrs Gschwendtner said cancer was “everywhere” and she had lost her mother-in-law Maria and neighbour Roy Cartwright to the disease in the years since she began fundraising.

Her father Ray Thompson thankfully recovered from bowel cancer recently.

“Statistically, more people I know are likely to suffer from the disease at some point in the future and I want to do all I can to help find a cure,” she said.

“Two of my friends have just been diagnosed with breast cancer.

One of them is a personal trainer and doesn’t drink or smoke or anything like that.

“It just shows that cancer can really affect anyone.”

For the past four years, Mrs Gschwendtner has held her morning tea at home but plans to hold this year’s event at Makybe Rise Primary School in Baldivis, where she is a teaching assistant.

“I rely on the generosity of local businesses to donate prizes that we can auction and raffle,” she said.

“Many of them have been very generous over the years.”

For more information on Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea visit www.biggestmorningtea.com.au.