The community behind the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch

Six years later, Mr McPherson died from prostate cancer in 2015, but as he’d hoped, many hundreds of men have now benefited from early detection due to these events.

The lunches are now held in 14 locations around Australia and have raised more than $3.5 million for prostate cancer research and regional prostate cancer nurses.

It is now the largest community-based fundraiser for prostate cancer research in Australia.

The 2024 event was held on Friday, October 11, at the Shepparton Museum of Vehicle Evolution.

The event is managed by a committee. However, it is not the only one who keeps the lunch’s going.

GV Health is one of the most involved local groups in the event, as a memorandum of understanding exists between the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Victoria and the Shepparton’s Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch Committee.

The memorandum allows Goulburn Valley Health to employ two dedicated specialist prostate cancer nurses.

Sonia Strachan and Nicole Lewis are the two prostate cancer specialist nurses that GV Health has been able to employ thanks to the lunch.

“The Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch is one of the most incredible community events that anyone can be involved with,” Ms Strachan said.

“It's just this amazing community event that we all come together, have lots of fun, but get a really serious health care message out there.

“It's incredible to be in a nursing position that's completely funded by your local community.”

Ms Strachan said that being a part of the event as the nurse is “extremely humbling”.

“People let us be part of their lives at one of the most stressful times of their life,” she said.

In 2016, the committee announced that due to the Georgopoulos family and their network of friends and business associates, that a Bowel Cancer Specialist Nurse position will also be co-funded in an arrangement that includes GV Health, Bowel Cancer Australia and Shepparton’s Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch.

“My position was created through the Georgopoulos family who had a son that had bowel cancer and felt that that was an area that was lacking in our community,” GV Health bowel cancer support nurse Lynda Morrison said.

“It's a great awareness for men to get the word out there to look at bowel cancer and prostate cancer as well.

“Men don't talk as much so to get that conversation happening as well, it’s great, and bowel cancer also affects a lot of younger people, so we’ll hopefully make some conversation there.”

Ms Morrison said that the day is not only important for the men who attend to get together socially, but to see where their money goes and to meet the nurses supported through the fundraiser.

“I think it's just important that people see us as well and where all this money goes, that helps our positions as well.

“It's great for the community to be able to see the nurses, and it's just an amazing day.”

GV Health chief executive officer Matt Sharp said that at it’s core, the day is an event for Shepparton.

“What it actually is about is a community event,” Mr Sharp said.

“But what it does for us is it allows us to have two prostate cancer nurses and our cancer nurse funded through the generosity and terrific support that we get from the organising committee and also from the community in general.”

He also highlighted the importance of the message behind the day.

“The day is to really encourage men who can be typically a bit stubborn, ignore symptoms and signs to go and get their health check, particularly if they notice some changes to their urination or their bowel habits,” Mr Sharp said.

“We really want people to get that checks early because if they do get the checks early, they've got a much better chance of controlling it and managing the symptoms.

“So don't forget the hidden message of this day. Look after your health and get onto things early.”

The other major community groups involved in the day are the local Rotary clubs, namely Shepparton, Shepparton Central, Shepparton South and Mooroopna Rotary.

The groups were in charge of cooking and serving, each set up in a corner of the venue, being responsible for a quarter of the over 1030 attendees.

“We have 10 of us working in each kitchen, plus a couple of bar people and a chef in each corner,” Shepparton Rotary’s Jenny Sim said.

“We look after our 250 odd people for the whole day and the money all goes back into the club.”

She said that what people see during the event isn’t everything they do.

“A lot of us have been here most of yesterday setting up and some on Wednesday, setting up, there'll be more back tomorrow to clean up so it's a big few days,” Ms Sim said.

The enjoyment of the day is both for attendees and the Rotary members themselves, Shepparton Central member Peter Johnson said.

“It's a bit of a bonding thing for the guys in the club, and it’s treated with enthusiasm by the club members.

“There's a bit of stress and a bit of pressure at times, days of work, but we like doing it.

“The overall role that we play this year has been the best that we've had.”

Mooroopna Rotary member Ken Faulkner said the club is a great way to get involved with the event in a productive way.

“It's a good way for us to physically work and support the lunch to start with, but that's what I think we like about it, and it's good fun to listen to the comedian as well,” he said.

“When you just look across the event, there are 1000 people, it's just a fantastic event to be at.”

Shepparton South member David Earl is the major organiser of the food and catering for the event, but this isn’t his first rodeo.

“I'm on the biggest blokes lunch committee,” Mr Earl said.

“My role is in just planning the whole thing and all the food and the containers and all that so that it all flows, and we just tweak it each year.

“We've probably been working on it for six months with the committee.”