14 November 2024

Members of the Westside HQ Snooker Club in Queensland have been breaking with purpose, in memory of club legend, Wayne Ross who passed away from prostate cancer in 2021. 

Wayne, who was first diagnosed with the disease in 2011, had been a member of the club for over 30 years.

After he passed away from the disease, his wife Kerrie launched a tournament in his honour to raise awareness and funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.  

“He loved the game. He continued to play even during his treatment for about 9 years before he had to stop,” Kerrie said.

“His Gleason score was 10 after his GP discovered it in a PSA test. Very quickly we were at a urologist who performed a prostatectomy,” Kerrie added.

“Even though he went through radiotherapy, chemotherapy, a trial, nothing was really working but he remained very positive about it all. He managed to live with prostate cancer for nine years."

In 2021, to honour Wayne, Kerrie and the snooker club created the Wayne Ross Memorial Snooker Tournament, which is held in October every year. 

“We do it to raise funds and awareness of prostate cancer whilst doing something that Wayne loved,” Sammie, a Westside HQ Employee said. 

“Now in our third year, the tournament is really strong. It’s heartening to see the amount of men who come up to us and buy raffle tickets and share their story and say thank you. 

“They have said things like ‘I wish someone had told me it was a simple as a blood test.’ It’s very moving to hear men tell their stories about their experiences with prostate cancer.

“Often there would be another person in line, and they would overhear and say: ‘I should talk to my dad about prostate cancer’,” Sammie said.  

The tournament is held over three days, from Friday to Sunday, and participants can purchase raffle tickets and raise funds for PCFA.  

“Every year, we invite Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia to talk to all our members when we draw our raffle,” Sammie said.  

For the last two years, Westside HQ Snooker Club has donated all the proceeds from the raffle to PCFA.  

“It’s great to be able to talk about Wayne and to encourage people to get tested,” Kerrie said.    

“Wayne was eager to tell men, young and old, to get tested. ‘It’s just a blood test’ he’d say.”  

Westside HQ Snooker Club raised just over $5107 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia