By JESSE GRAHAM
AN OVARIAN cancer champion who raised thousands for charity earlier this year has had her work recognised with a surprise $10,000 award from BankVic.
Former Healesville High School teacher Sue Contarino was awarded the $10,000 Community Hero Award at a specially-held school assembly at Wonga Park Primary School, on Tuesday 12 July.
Her award was presented by BankVic CEO Stephen Capello at the assembly, which was attended by Victoria Police Eastern Region Assistant Commissioner Rick Nugent, Ovarian Cancer Australia’s director of fund-raising Katrina Parker, and Ms Contarino’s friends and family.
Mr Capello said her award followed Ms Contarino’s Walk with Me event, where a group of walkers took on the 42 kilometre Warburton Trail to raise money for ovarian cancer research.
“Not only did Sue raise $12,500 but she stunned doctors and her family and friends by walking the event herself,” he said.
Ms Contarino’s husband Steve nominated her for the award, and she was chosen from a short-list of 12 finalists who were assessed on how they displayed generosity and courage.
She told the Mail the award assembly was a surprise, and that she didn’t realise the event was in her honour until she was on the stage.
“It was an absolute shock to find that my husband had organised this assembly at my daughter’s school,” she said.
“I was in tears, shaking, the knees went, the whole thing. It was incredible.
“Even when they were doing their talk … I hadn’t noticed the cheque because my eyes were all teary – he said, ‘What are you going to do with your $10,000?’ then I nearly fell apart.”
Ms Contarino, who was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer in 2013, said the prize money will be portioned and given to the orphanage her daughter was adopted from; to Ovarian Cancer Australia; to a community member raising money for breast cancer research and to a family she knew, whose boy lives with a genetic disorder.
The remainder, she said, will go towards a well-earned holiday and paying off medical bills.
She said the award was “encouraging” her work with the Walk with Me event, which will be running for a second year in February next year.
“It just makes me realise that if you put your heart and soul into something and you believe in it, and you have a passion about it, then there’s no reason why you can’t make it happen,” Ms Contarino said.
“Australia is so full of people and companies … asking for handouts for charity – you get phone calls every day saying, ‘Give money, give to this, give to that’ – we’re inundated with charities to give to, and I think we become very hardened towards it.
“Just pick two charities and you get behind that.”
For more information about the Walk with Me 2017 event, or to donate, visit www.walkwithme4oca.com
