Cathy’s celebrating 30 years of Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea

Every year Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is a celebration but in 2023 we are celebrating one massive milestone: 30 years of Biggest Morning Teas!

Over the past 30 years, Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea has seen more than 500,000 hosts come together with their friends, family and colleagues to raise over $200 million for Cancer Council’s life-saving research, prevention and support programs. And for 15 years, Macclesfield local Cathy has been one of those dedicated members of our communi-tea.

For Cathy, every morning tea she has hosted has been personal. With the support of her ‘Young at Heart Club’, Cathy has continually hosted a Biggest Morning Tea in honour of not only her own cancer diagnosis, but also in memory of her mother, father and husband who have all lost their lives to cancer.

“In June 2006, a year after I was diagnosed with cancer, my mother passed away from liver and bowel cancer. And a month later, my father passed away from mesothelioma. It was absolutely devastating for the family,” Cathy says.

“I was lucky, I survived. I saw the incredible work that Cancer Council was doing for other people I’d met in hospital, and I thought ‘I want to do something’. So, when I was well enough, we held our first morning tea.

“More recently, my husband was also diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. Shortly before he died, just six weeks after his diagnosis, he said to me: ‘you promise me that you’ll keep supporting and raising funds for Cancer Council’. And that just made me more passionate.”

At 75 years young, Cathy says she couldn’t host a Biggest Morning Tea without the help of her wonderful friends, family and co-hosts. Despite having held a morning tea for the last 15 years, Cathy’s passion for a cuppa for a cause remains as strong as ever—and it shows!

Cathy’s Club has won ‘Highest SA Fundraiser’ three times, and each year they try to raise more. One highlight Cathy remembers fondly was the 2017 calendar they created where 23 amazing women stepped up to bare it all, wearing nothing but an apron! Another was in 2018 when her event was featured in a live-cross on ‘Sunrise’ breakfast TV.

“It’s just incredible how friendships and relationships have grown out of the morning teas and making the calendar. We’ve all received out of the giving and all of the members strive for a cancer free future, not for us but for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren,” Cathy says.

This year, Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is officially going to be held on Thursday 25 May 2023, however you can register to host any time throughout May or June, and join people like Cathy and her club.

By signing up to host your way, you’ll be supporting and contribute to our goal of fundraising over $13 million nation-wide for life-saving cancer research, prevention and support programs.

So, what do you say? Could you spare time for a cuppa in support of every Australian impacted by cancer? Register to host an Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea in 2023, make it personal and help us take on cancer, while celebrating 30 wonderful years of communi-tea spirit.