Gallery
The Trust enjoyed country hospitality at its finest at the Tokanui Golf Club’s charity tournament in late-November. Mal Dermody and his organising committee brought the local community together to ensure a spectacular event with the Trust benefitting by more than $20,000 through the auction and on-course promotions.
The day’s major sponsor Property Brokers brought special guest Christian Cullen south for the day and his address at the prize-giving was one of a kind. All auction items and raffle prizes were donated, teams entered from clubs all over Southland and two players travelled from Ruakaka and Stanmore Bay respectively.
The on-course and clubhouse food was extraordinary and it was a great privilege to be able to showcase what the Trust is looking to achieve with its research into finding an early diagnostic marker for pancreatic cancer. It was a very special day out and the Trust is indebted to the organisers and the Tokanui and southern Southland community. Photos credit: jayaaarts_photography
A crowd of 360 at Friday night’s first annual dinner for the Louise Davie Charitable Trust in the Dunedin Town Hall were left in awe at the self-effacing humility of Willie Apiata VC. Among many topics covered in an on-stage conversation researched and conducted by Trustee Warren Alcock, Apiata talked about the comradeship built up during his time with the SAS, the mental health issues he is confronting as a result of his years in combat zones, his relationship with Queen Elizabeth II and how he strives to be a better person each and every day.
‘Extraordinary’, ‘inspiring’, and ‘breathtakingly honest’ were all words to describe his address. Apiata received a standing ovation both before and after he spoke. He shared the stage with Mick Colliss, Australasia’s funniest after-dinner speaker, rising Dunedin singer Poppy Hussey and New Zealand’s finest dance band LA Social.
We were extremely privileged to host Shaun Wallace, the Dark Destroyer from The Chase, in July 2024 and what a night's entertainment we had. After Shaun spoke about his life growing up in London and life and times on The Chase, 57 teams of eight players did battle in a seven-round Believe It or Not quiz, the Quizzley Blondes coming out on top. Four members of the team then snuck home against Shaun in the Final Chase.
As had been the case all weekend in Dunedin, Shaun was then mobbed by the crowd with a record number of his book Chasing the Dream being sold and hundreds of selfies and group photos taken. For more on the night, check out the Believe It or Not Facebook page and the Seen in Dunedin website: www.seenindunedin.co.nz.
In early February 2024, despite a brief playtime cut short by heavy rain, the inaugural Louise Davie Charitable Trust golf tournament at St Clair was a remarkable success. The event, graciously supported by St Clair Golf Club, the Stonelake Foundation, Craigs Investment Partners, hole sponsors, participating teams and generous donors, raised over $18,500 towards the Trust's goal of early pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Thank you to everyone who made the tournament such a success. Our hole sponsors were: Knox & Anderson, Feldspar, Craigs Investment Partners, Hunter Stevenson OFS Insurance Brokers, Sarah Stevenson, Palmers Mechanical, PlaceMakers Dunedin & Mosgiel, Night ‘n Day Dunedin, Stonelake Foundation, Josh Cuttance SHARE NZ, Ray White Dunedin, Moore Markhams Otago, McMahon Medical. The team entries were: Mark & Carmell Cadzow, Keith Ellwood, Judy Bevin, Downie Stewart, Richard Joseph, Dunedin City Motors, Warren Alcock, Whatsoever Ltd, Loan Market Dunedin, Fulton Hogan, ANZ Private, Forsyth Barr and the DCC.
Also thanks to those who donated prizes for the team list or raffle or through making a cash donation: Dr Jenny McMahon, CJ Consulting Ltd, Insight Accounting and Advisory, Nichol’s Garden Centre, Darling Realty, Perseverance Estate, St Clair Golf Club, the Highlanders, Jonathan Usher, Z, Wanaka Golf Club, Liquorland Meenan’s, Klone Hair, Dunedin City Motors, King’s High School, Rockburn Wines, Stewart Construction, LJ Hooker Dunedin, Highlands Motorsport Park, Otago Daily Times, Central Machine Hire Otago Rally, Dunbar Estates and Bell Hill Apartments.
The Louise Davie Charitable Trust's inaugural lunch in early August 2023 was a resounding success, with a capacity audience at Glenroy Auditorium enjoying a nostalgic journey led by former All Black coach Laurie Mains, commemorating the 1993 Bledisloe Cup rugby test at Carisbrook. The event also featured an enthralling story by Josie Spillane, the chief executive of Highlands Motorsport Park and 2022 Grand Business South Leader of the Year.
The raffle and auction generated enthusiastic participation, while the heads & tails game challenged guests' general knowledge and fostered a sense of pride among the last participants standing. This lunch marked the beginning of a series of planned events and functions for the future. Additionally, a fuller selection of photos from the event can be found on seenindunedin.co.nz.
The Louise Davie Charitable Trust was launched in late-June 2023 at Dunedin's Southern Cross Hotel. Founder and Trustee Steve Davie explained the purpose of the Trust, while Professor Chris Jackson simplified the workings of the pancreas and highlighted the threat of cancer to this vital organ.
More than 100 invited guests attended the launch function and after Prof. Jackson’s presentation, they left with a greater awareness of the urgent need for greater funding of research into early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Along with the photos from the launch seen here, there is a fuller selection on seenindunedin.co.nz. All proceeds from sales of photos from the Seen in Dunedin website will be donated to the Trust and we thank Chris Sullivan for his generosity.
Get in touch
If you’d like to know more about The Louise Davie Charitable Trust, the research it is funding or its upcoming events, please get in contact and Steve Davie will be in touch.
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If you are keen and able to help us launch research, we would welcome your donation.