Meriton Raises Money For Sick Kids

In March 2004, the first Meriton Sydney Invitational was held to raise funds for charity. The Institute for Neuromuscular Research at The Children's Hospital at Westmead were fortunate enough to be chosen as one of the three charities to receive some of the proceeds from this event.

The golf tournament is sponsored by Meriton and organised by John Small and Neil Warren, and is the first step in a ten year plan to raise significant amounts for charity.

The tournament is very loosely based on the Pebble Beach pro-am where you see players such as Clint Eastwood and Danny de Vito mixing it with the pros. The tournament was a four-person team event, held over four days at four of the best courses in Sydney. Each team comprised of a PGA or LPGA Professional and three amateurs, with day one of the tournament held at Killara Golf Club, day two at Terrey Hills Golf Club, day three at St. Michael's Golf Club, and day four at The Lakes Golf Club.

The event kicked off on the Sunday night with a Welcome Event at Killara Golf Club and the Presentation Evening was a lavish event at the Star City Ballroom on the Thursday evening with presentations and entertainment until late into the evening.

Neil and John are running a sister tournament in the Hunter Valley in September with a charity theme and will repeat their Sydney tournament in March/April 2005.

The Institute of Neuromuscular Research's aim is to make the lives of children better through advances in muscle and nerve research. Neuromuscular disorders constitute one of the major causes of ongoing disability in childhood. While some of these disorders are treatable, for many children there is currently no cure.

Children with neuromuscular disorders have significant and worsening disabilities; many children are unable to walk and, in severe cases, the weakness impairs the muscles of breathing resulting in death at an early age.

Most neuromuscular disorders of childhood are genetic and more than one person in a family may be affected. For example, the muscular dystrophies are a group of hereditary muscle diseases, which can result in severe and often progressive muscle weakness. Inherited nerve disorders, known as peripheral neuropathies can affect the transfer of messages within the body. When the muscle loses its nerve supply it "wastes away" resulting in progressive loss of motor function.

Scientific research conducted at the Institute is aimed at solving clinical problems, and the Institute is presently engaged in several major research projects examining different aspects of nerve and muscle disease, such as identifying new forms of muscular dystrophy, studying the genes which influence athletic performance, and determining the cause of a fatal neuropathy of infants.

A cheque presentation will be held with staff from the Institute, along with Ross Newcombe and Jim Keats from Meriton, and the event organisers Neil Warren and John Small, at 9am Thursday 27th May at The Children's Hospital at Westmead.

For further information:
Julie Stromborg
Ph: (02) 9845 3580
E: julies5@chw.edu.au