A total of 2207 riders and pillions, more than 130 volunteers and seven families with a child enduring cancer, all came together at the 16^th Snowy Ride with one goal – to raise money for research into a cure for childhood cancer.

The ride is hosted by the SWCCF each year in the Snowy Mountains region and Thredbo with all supporters celebrating the achievement of raising more than $250,000.

“It has been a fabulous 16^th Snowy Ride, and I can’t thank our Snowy Ride family enough for its continued support. Our family includes all of the riders and pillions, every volunteer and of course our valued sponsors, Honda, Snowy Hydro, National Parks & Wildlife Service, Thredbo Kosciusko, QBE Insurance, The Tool Store and Newton Real Estate,” said Sue Walter, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation.

Honda motorcycles has been the major sponsor for the event since inception and this year donated a 2016 model Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin which was won by Olivier Duranda who was on his 5th Snowy Ride. The runner up was Jo Virgona, who registered as a pillion for her 6th Snowy Ride, received a 2016 model Honda CB500X.

Outside of the ski season, the Snowy Ride is the biggest event in the Snowy Mountains region and each year we are just amazed by the generosity of the motorcycle riders and pillions as well as the wonderful support we receive from the Snowy Mountains community.

The annual Honda CBR Fireblade Raffle was also recently drawn with Rebecca Clements from the ACT with winning ticket 06592.

It’s astonishing to believe that it’s been 23 years since Steven was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma and what a journey it has been – he would be so proud of what is being achieved in his memory sixteen years later,” said Sue.

“After battling cancer for almost half his life, Steve came to realise that life was not measured by quantity of years, but by quality of living. The lessons we learn and the impact your life has on the lives of people around you. Each and every one of the Snowy Ride supporters should be extremely proud of the positive impact they are having. Together we are all meeting the challenge of 100% survival of children diagnosed with cancer,” she said.

“This event is a team effort, and so is helping a child get through cancer treatment. Each and every person who supports the Snowy Ride can be proud that they are all on the team, helping kids beat cancer,” she said.

The Honda Snowy Ride has been held on the first Saturday in November each year since 2001 by the Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation (SWCCF) with motorcyclists spending a day riding the picturesque Alpine roads and raising money to fund research into a cure for childhood cancer.

Honda motorcycles has been the major sponsor for the event since inception and this year donated a 2016 model Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin and runner up will receive a 2016 model Honda CB500X, with a combined value of $25,000.

Other highlights of the event included free test rides on Honda’s fleet of motorcycles for licensed motorcyclists, a mass ride into Thredbo with participants dressing up for the occasion and plenty of great entertainment. Former Australian MotoGP and World Superbike Rider, Garry McCoy was SWCCF’s special guest for his first Snowy Ride experience.

Each year SWCCF also hosts families with a child enduring treatment for cancer in Thredbo for the weekend made possible by Snowy Hydro through the Snowy Hydro Family Program, giving them a break from their hospital routines. The entire family is invited for a relaxing, fun-filled stay away from the serious business of a cancer diagnosis.

“We hosted seven families this year and they’ve had a ball with helicopter rides courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy, motorcycle rides thanks to the Australian Goldwing Association and plenty of other great activities. The families are cared for by a dedicated group of volunteers and the program is generously sponsored by Snowy Hydro.

“We know that almost 1000 children are newly diagnosed with cancer each year in Australia and that for every 10 children diagnosed with cancer, three do not survive. It’s statistics like these that keep driving us to raise as much money as we can to support research into a cure.

“We can’t thank everyone who supports the Snowy Ride enough for their assistance in ensuring a great event. From the motorcyclists and pillions who take part, through to the volunteers who give up their time to make it a great event, we thank you for your support in helping us ‘Meet the Challenge’ of 100% survival for all children diagnosed with cancer,” Sue said.

The His and Hers Monster Raffle with 6 fantastic prizes was drawn on 30 June. Our lucky winners were from Victoria and New South Wales.

• 1st Prize Ladies yellow & pink diamond dress ring valued at $18,875 went to Alana Milson from Victoria
• 2nd Prize Ladies diamond stud earrings valued at $4,344 went to T. Jones from Victoria
• 3rd Prize Honda generator valued at $1,999 went to D. Paladin from Victoria
• 4th Prize Honda Blower valued at $599 went to J. Copelin from NSW
• 5th Prize Honda Brushcutter valued at $399 went to D. Harris from NSW
• 6th Prize Ladies Citizen Eco Drive watch valued at $275 A. Williams from NSW

We extend a huge thanks to Monty Adams Jewellers for donating our amazing diamond ring and earrings for the raffle and long-time sponsor Honda for the power equipment. Prize winners will be published in The Australian on 6 July 2016.

The sun came out in Thredbo on Saturday 7 November for the 2358 riders who took part in the 15^th annual Honda Snowy Ride to raise money for research into a cure for childhood cancer.

Motorcyclists, pillions, families with a child being treated for cancer, as well as plenty of supporters and hundreds of volunteers, descended on the Snowy Mountains and Thredbo and celebrated the achievement of raising close to $250,000.

“Fifteen years on from Steve’s passing and the Snowy Ride is still attracting riders from all walks of life to contribute to our vital cause. I think Steve would be so proud of what is being achieved in his memory,” said Sue Walter, Director of the Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation.

Steven Walter was just 19 when he passed away after an eight year battle with cancer. Before he died he asked his family and friends to do what they could to raise money for research into a cure for childhood cancer so that one day no other kid had to go through what he went through.

Steve had a love of motorcycles and aiming to make his dream a reality, Steve’s family and friends came up with the idea for a charity motorcycle ride. The Snowy Ride is everything he’d love in a weekend – friends, family, motorcycles and having fun.

“We have such a loyal group of motorcyclists who support the Snowy Ride year after year on motorcycles of all shapes, sizes and colours. It’s also heart-warming to see many new faces discovering what a fantastic event this is and helping us in our mission to find a cure for childhood cancer,” said Sue.

“This event is a team effort, and so is helping a child get through cancer treatment. Each and every person who supports the Snowy Ride can be proud that they are all on the team, helping kids beat cancer,” she said.

For the past fifteen years, the Honda Snowy Ride has been held on the first Saturday in November each year by the Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation (SWCCF) with motorcyclists spending a day riding the picturesque Alpine roads and raising money to fund research into a cure for childhood cancer.

Honda motorcycles has been the major sponsor for the event since inception and this year donated a 2015 model Honda VFR800F valued at $16,000 as first prize, which went to Lee Roberts from Croydon in Victoria, and a 2015 model Honda CB500X valued at $9,000 as second prize which went to Trevor Wren from Revesby in NSW.

Other highlights of the event included free test rides on Honda’s fleet of motorcycles for licensed motorcyclists, a low speed riding skills test as well as a mass ride into Thredbo with participants dressing up for the occasion.

Each year SWCCF also hosts families with a child enduring treatment for cancer in Thredbo for the weekend through the Snowy Hydro Family Program, giving them a break from their hospital routines. The entire family is invited for a relaxing, fun-filled stay away from the serious business of a cancer diagnosis.

“We hosted six families this year and they’ve had a ball with helicopter rides courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy, motorcycle rides thanks to the Australian Goldwing Association and plenty of other great activities. The families are cared for by a dedicated group of volunteers and the program is generously sponsored by Snowy Hydro.

“Outside of the ski season, the Snowy Ride is the biggest event in the Snowy Mountains region and each year we are just amazed by the generosity of the motorcycle riders and pillions who come along to support the event.

“This year marks fifteen years since Steve passed away but with each passing year our commitment to finding a cure for childhood cancer grows even stronger,” said Sue.

“We know that more than 800 children are newly diagnosed with cancer each year in Australia and that for every 10 children diagnosed with cancer, three do not survive. It’s statistics like these that keep driving us to raise as much money as we can to support research into a cure.

“We can’t thank everyone who supports the Snowy Ride enough for their assistance in ensuring a great event. From the motorcyclists and pillions who take part, through to the volunteers who give up their time to make it a great event, we thank you for your support in helping us ‘Meet the Challenge’ of 100% survival for all children diagnosed with cancer,” Sue said.

The Snowy Ride is generously sponsored by Honda Motorcycles, Snowy Hydro, Kosciusko Thredbo and National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Fairground Follies truly lived up to its name and was a fantastic setting for Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation’s Fundraising Dinner on Saturday 8 August. It was a celebration of 15 years of fundraising for SWCCF and a reminder of the reason it all began in 2000 – to raise money for research into a cure for childhood cancer so that one day no other child has to go through what Steven Walter went through.

A remarkable $34,500 was raised on the night thanks to the generosity of the wonderful people who attended. Our amazing MCs were 2GB’s Ben Fordham and Mini Rabs or Michael Ponticello, a young man who is going through treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). Along with Ben and Mini Rabs, we were also thrilled to have performance from Soprano Samantha Warhurst and flautist Samantha Joseph.

The wonderful antique musical organs helped set the scene for a colourful, musical night and not to be outdone were the Jazz Band, Traffic Jam. We were thrilled to have two special guest speakers, with Mark Porter and Professor Glenn Marshall from Sydney Children’s Hospital. Mark is father to Max Porter, who battled Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2014. Mark made a powerful speech about his family’s journey from diagnosis to cure. Professor Glenn Marshall was interviewed by Ben Fordham and spoke about the new and exciting work he and his team are undertaking in the search for a cure. Both stressed the importance of raising money to fund research into a cure.

There were rides on the carousel, raffle tickets, keys sold to unlock a wine fridge full of Oatley Wines, Tarot reading, flashing rings and glow glasses all helped contribute to the total raised, as did the auction hosted by Mr Sold, Scott Gibbons. Many generous guests also pledged donations directly to SWCCF. The night was wrapped up with a fun horse race on the 100 year old carousel.

Steven Walter Children’s Cancer Foundation would like to thank Ben Fordham for giving his time to MC and support the event and the Ponticello family, particularly the rising star, Michael, or Mini Rabs. Our sincere thanks also go to owner of Fairground Follies, Craig Robson, for hosting the event, Michael Hasset from TDC for providing technical support, staging and equipment, Guy Davies from Guy Davies Photography, Brendan O’Connell from In the Loupe Videography and Newton Real Estate for their continual support. We would also like to thank Michael and Ellen Rappo for the huge amount of work that went into coordinating the night.

We would also like to thank each and every person who attended in support of the event and made it such a fun and successful fundraising event.

Check out the new video about SWCCF which was shown at the Fairground Follies dinner on our Youtube Channel.