2023 Sawatzky Cup Raises Over $11,000 for Rare Voices Australia and Australians Living With a Rare Disease

RVA News

On behalf of Rare Voices Australia (RVA) and the estimated two million Australians living with a rare disease, thank you to everyone who made the 2023 Sawatzky Cup tennis tournament possible on 22 January 2023. Over $11,000 has been raised with all proceeds going to RVA. These funds will help RVA continue overseeing the collaborative implementation of the National Strategic Action Plan for Rare Diseases (the Action Plan), the first nationally coordinated effort to address rare diseases in Australia.

Since the Action Plan’s launch in 2020, Australia’s rare disease sector has been collaboratively progressing its implementation and RVA has been leading this important work. Developed by the rare disease sector, for the rare disease sector, the Action Plan aims to deliver the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes for Australians living with a rare disease.

Images supplied by Scotty’s Media, official photographer and videographer for the 2023 Sawatzky Cup

Special thanks to the event organiser, Norman Burns, who made the event a reality in honour of his mate and the much-loved Ross Sawatzky. Norman has put an incredible amount of effort and work into organising the tournament.

RVA also thanks the Sawatzky family and everyone who supported the event, including the players; sponsors; spectators; those who donated; and everyone else involved. There’s still time to make a donation via this link.

RVA Director, Kane Blackman; RVA Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee (SMAC) member, Dr Kristen Nowak; Jess Brooklyn, RVA’s Education Project Officer; and RVA Ambassador, Andrew Bannister, were excited to attend the event and share more about rare diseases.

Images supplied by Andrew Bannister, RVA Ambassador

About rare diseases

• An estimated two million Australians are living with a rare disease
• It is prominently cited that there are more than 7,000 different rare diseases
• There is no cure for many rare diseases, so improving quality of life and extending life expectancy of people living with a rare disease is vital