By Amanda Wright
The room was white with flecks of teal — elegant dresses, crisp shirts, and lapel pins that together formed a sea of quiet defiance. For one night, the colour became more than a dress code. It became a symbol of love, of loss, and of life-saving determination.
The Trudy Crowley Foundation’s Touch of Teal Soirée was not just another gala. It was a gathering of stories that laid bare the reality of cancer — its cruelty, its indiscrimination, and its impact on families and futures. There was laughter, there were tears, and there was a shared promise that the legacy of one woman, Trudy Crowley, continues to ripple through every conversation, every auction paddle raised, and every lifesaving message carried home.
From the first moving words of Founding Director Jacquie Camilleri, to the powerful testimonies of patients and families, the evening reminded everyone in attendance of one undeniable truth: cancer changes lives in an instant — but together, we can change outcomes.
The evening was filled with powerful moments of reflection, resilience and raw honesty, with every speaker reminding the room why the Trudy Crowley Foundation’s work is so vital.
Jacquie Camilleri, Founding Director of the Foundation, opened the night with the story of how it all began. As a Mater Hospital volunteer, she wanted to brighten the days of oncology and palliative care patients with small treats. That’s when she first met Trudy, who wrote her a thank-you card that would change everything.
“I went in for chemo but I got a high tea,” Trudy wrote. The two women formed an instant bond, and when Trudy was later told she had only a short time left, Jacquie felt what she described as “a fireball from within — you’ll have to step up.” Together with her husband Charles, Jacquie established the Foundation to continue Trudy’s fierce advocacy. Before she had to step back, Trudy herself had spoken in Parliament, as fantastic and fearless an advocate as she was a friend.
From there, the stage became a place of confronting truth. Trudy’s daughter-in-law, Kaylissa Crowley, sat alongside her husband Levi and spoke of her best friend Mel Daniells, who died of bowel cancer at just 30. With no obvious symptoms — aside from back pain, dramatic weight loss and later, pain after eating — Mel’s diagnosis came at stage 4. Within four months she was gone, leaving behind her husband Blake and their young son, Jaxson. Blake himself had lost his father to cancer only six months earlier.
Naming rights sponsor Daly Bay’s Sharon Johnson then shared her own family’s heartbreak — her sister’s recent breast cancer diagnosis at only 37, found only because of markers picked up in a blood test.
Foundation Co-Patron and journalist Amanda Wright shared her journey with stage 3B bowel cancer, diagnosed only after it had spread to her bowel wall, lymph nodes and liver. Within weeks she had surgery, and weeks later began chemotherapy. She spoke of the hidden toll on women: “Our medical concerns are brushed aside while we balance careers and caregiving. Until suddenly, we’re forced to stop everything because our lives are on the line.”
Amanda described the isolation of not being able to hug her one-year-old son after chemotherapy or kiss her husband for months. But she also credited the Foundation for lifting her up: “Over a simple cup of tea, the Trudy Crowley Foundation gave me what I hadn’t been able to give myself — permission to fall apart.
“It reminded me that even in the darkest moments, connection, care, and community can be the lifeline that keeps you fighting.”
She finished with a plea to the audience: “Don’t wait. Don’t dismiss. Don’t die wondering. In the words of the late Bridgeen Doherty — know your body, know your normal.”
Other testimonials came from two women, Donna Tee and Fern Emily, who shared their breast cancer journeys. Donna spoke of losing her sister without dignity to the disease, and of her passion to see a palliative care sanctuary created so no one else endures that experience. Fern spoke of the silent battles after treatment — scars, disfigurement, mental health struggles, and the loss of support once the hospital visits end. The two found friendship through Foundation sessions in Airlie Beach, led by Jacquie and supported by nurses Chris and Rosie, and now describe themselves as sisters of survival.
The night was hosted by Triple M’s Jay and Dave, alongside Foundation Ambassador Earl Neilsen, who guided conversations with the insight of a stage 3 bowel cancer survivor himself. Together, the trio brought warmth and authenticity to the evening, ensuring every story was heard with compassion.
A particularly moving moment came with the story of Tamara, a young Mackay woman whose final wish was to experience the Mackay Show one last time. Thanks to the combined efforts of Jay and Dave and the Trudy Crowley Foundation, that wish was brought to life, giving her and her family a joyful memory amid the challenges of her illness.
Auctioneer Peter Houghton, who recently joined the Trudy Crowley Foundation’s board, brought his signature energy to the evening with a spectacular bagpipe entrance that was unique to this year’s soiree. Peter and his wife Jo have long been dedicated volunteers at the Foundation’s Cancer Centre, supporting events, patients and initiatives from the start. As bidding began, Peter’s lively auctioneering kept the room buzzing with excitement, culminating in the Inspec Club House alone fetching an impressive $27,000.
Tables were dotted with QR codes linking to bulk-billed bowel screening, and lifesaver lollies served as sweet reminders to check your health. Conversations flowed about how cancer has touched so many families. The patients’ table, the nurses, the volunteers, the ambassadors — all united by shared memories of Trudy. The event was beautifully captured by Bek from the Wilde Collective, who gives her time each year in memory of her mother, whom she lost to ovarian cancer three years ago.
As Foundation Co-Patron Amanda Camm MP told the crowd via phone from Parliament, the Foundation’s impact goes far beyond Mackay. It is saving lives, one story, one screening, and one conversation at a time.
Guests and the Triple M team enjoyed an evening of stories, connection, and fundraising at the Trudy Crowley Foundation’s Touch of Teal Soirée. Photo credit: The Wilde Collective
A night to remember at the Trudy Crowley Foundation’s Touch of Teal Soirée, celebrating community, hope, and the tireless work of the Foundation to support those affected by cancer. Photo credit: The Wilde Collective
Find the social pics here: https://tinyurl.com/2aunc8dn
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