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A team of property leaders raised $265,000 for dementia research in a surf fundraising event.
Representatives from over 30 organisations across the property and development sectors took part in this year’s Wipeout Dementia event at Bondi Beach, collectively raising over a quarter of a million dollars for The Dementia Event – despite wild weather on the day.
Over 30 companies from across the property, building and development sectors got involved in the event, including Colliers, Buildcorp, Avenor, LJ Hooker, Winten Property Group and Charter Hall.
Michael Gordon, general manager at Buildcorp Interiors, raised $37,000 individually and his eight-person team raised $71,000, the highest amount out of all seven teams.
Meanwhile, Avenor director Peter Clemesha captained the 2024 Surf Off championship team, while Steve Watson’s Watto’s Wavehunters won the Battle Royale.
The property executives were joined by three surfing superstars: 1999 world surfing champion Mark Occhilupo, WSL title winner and Olympic bronze medallist Owen Wright, and 1978 world surfing champion Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew AM.
Bartholomew stated: “This is a fantastic initiative to drive much-needed funds to dementia research. With cardiovascular health in mid-life a key factor in brain health in later life, it’s great to see this group taking on a challenging physical endeavour.”
Professors Henry Brodaty and Perminder Sachdev from UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing noted that the number of people living with a dementia diagnosis has risen to 57 million.
Without a medical breakthrough, the professors stated they feared that this number would continue to escalate.
“Reducing the social impact of this disease has reached a critical point,” said Professor Brodaty.
Professor Sachdev added: “Despite the prevalence, research funding for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias remains disproportionately underfunded.
“Funding support for Wipeout Dementia is allowing the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing to ramp up its research focus on the development of biomarkers, so that treatments can be developed to stop progression to dementia.”
Wipeout Dementia’s inaugural event was held in 2015, and participants over the years have included prime ministers, state premiers, and surfers as young as 10 years old.
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