HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au
45 heavy hitters from across Australia’s property industry have led the most successful Wipeout Dementia to date, raising over $200,000 for dementia research at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW Sydney.
The Surf Off event was sponsored by Morgans Financial, Aoyuan International, Colliers International Residential, m3property and Winten Property Group, and saw all surfers take to the water at the same time for the contest’s first ever Battle Royale.
Friday’s Wipeout Dementia Surf Off event, held on 22 November at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach, is the tenth run by CHeBA and aims to increase awareness about the modifiable risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias while driving research funds to harness global research to prevent dementia.
The latest campaign continued the initiative’s track record of success said Spokesman for The Dementia Momentum and Ambassador, Richard Grellman AM, Chairman of IPH Limited and former Chairman of The Association of Surfing Professionals (International) Limited.
“This year we saw our first interstate surfers from m3property’s Melbourne and Sydney offices,” said Mr Grellman.
“The expansion of Wipeout Dementia across the property industry to embrace social change and support research has been astonishing.
“Ongoing partnership between research and industry is critical for us to face the social and economic challenges dementia incidence poses,” he said.
Over ten events Wipeout Dementia has generated more than $1.5 million for The Dementia Momentum, with industry representatives in the 2019 event joining from CBRE, Shape Australia, Avenor, Bates Smart, FDC, Ray White Commercial, Stamford Capital, Sense Projects, Haigs Builder Brokers and many more.
In a major upset, the 2019 winning team was led by first time captain Darren Beasley, second highest fundraiser and Deputy General Manager of sponsor Aoyuan International, who took his team to glory in the contest as well as highest overall fundraising team in the event.
The title was taken from reigning champions Cliff’s Carvers, captained by Craig Rodgers who instead boasted the most points in the first ever Wipeout Dementia Battle Royale, which saw 45 surfers take to the water at once to compete for waves. Fellow Wipeout Dementia Ambassador and 1978 World Surfing Champion Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew AM said that he was “exceptionally proud of all the surfers in the property industry that have generated such a swell of support for Wipeout Dementia.”
Anthony Scotts of AWM Commercial Furniture, who spoke at the event alongside brother-in-law Mike DuChateau, said he was also proud to be part of an industry getting behind a cause so important to him.
Mr DuChateau, whose wife has young onset Alzheimer’s, labelled the disease a ‘thief’ and said that attending the event and seeing the extraordinary support behind research had given him a renewed sense of hope for the future.
A number of awards were announced on the day including the prestigious ‘Gnarly Award’, a Mark Richards 1980 replica twin fin surfboard which was awarded to highest fundraiser Josh Millard of Parkview. In an incredible display of dedication the Mr Millard personally raised over $22,000 for the cause.
A Mick Fanning competition DHD surfboard signed by Ambassadors Richard Grellman and Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew went to Darren Beasley, Pip de Rohan, Director of Project One and Brett Newman, CEO of Parramatta Council who were the other top fundraisers in this round (raising $14,229, $11,502 and $11,465 respectively), with Mike Gordon of Buildcorp and Anthony Scotts of AWM Commercial Furniture each close to the $10,000 mark. David Kemp of Buildcorp, Peter Clemesha of Avenor, Will Rothwell of Winten, Steve Watson of Steve Watson & Partners, Craig Rodgers of Charter Hall, Philip Vivian of Bates Smart, Phillip Wicks of Shape Australia and Peter Kleijn of Winten Property Group were all acknowledged for raising above their targets of $5,000.
During the post Surf Off Awards Ceremony it was a $5,000 donation at the event from Corporate Interior Projects took the campaign over the $200,000 goal.
A score of 8 won Winten Director Will Rothwell ‘Wave of the Day’, while Craig Shelsher from Custance Associates took home the almighty ‘Wipeout Award’ with the contest’s major drop in. Final awards went to architect Nikki Mote, who returned after being the first ever female to surf Wipeout Dementia in 2016, Mike Gordon for his awareness outreach and acquiring most number of donations, Craig Rodgers for his second highest wave score of the day, awareness outreach and greatest personal donation and to Anthony Scotts who took out the ‘Campaign Champion’ award for driving significant support over a number of years.
Most Valuable Player awards as voted by the Captains, went to Pip de Rohan in Watto’s Wavehunters, Lucy Ford of Capital Bluestone in Daza’s Drop Ins, Peter Kleijn of sponsor Winten in Phil’s GOATS, Joel Ducey of sponsor m3property in Clemo’s Diehards and Anthony Scotts of Cliff’s Carvers.
CHeBA Co-Director, Professor Henry Brodaty attended the Surf Off. He expressed his appreciation to all participants, Ambassadors Richard Grellman and Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew, and said that funds raised through the property industry Wipeout Dementia events have supported research and infrastructure costs for CHeBA’s international consortia harnessing “big data” to identify risk and protective factors for dementia.
“Wipeout Dementia fundraising has been the launch pad for a significant number of priority research projects across CHeBA’s international consortia spanning more than 30 countries,” said Professor Brodaty.
A number of projects received a funding boost as a result of the November event including the relationship between education, certain genes and cognitive impairment; social health and reserve in dementia; nutrition and cognitive health in the older population and global prevalence and common risk factors for post-stroke cognitive impairment.
Funds raised from this Wipeout Dementia will also provide funding to expand the research comparing various centenarian studies of brain ageing with each other. The hope is to find factors, including diet, that predict successful brain ageing into the 11th decade of life that are robust across cohorts which will spearhead an international effort to promote successful brain ageing and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
CHeBA’s Co-Directors Professor Perminder Sachdev AM and Professor Henry Brodaty AO say without a medical breakthrough, the number of people with dementia is expected to triple by 2056. Richard Grellman confirmed that the team exceeded their goal by raising over $204,000 to advance the large-scale, “big data” research being conducted at CHeBA.
“I extend enormous congratulations to the property industry for getting behind Wipeout Dementia and leading the way for other industries,” said Mr Grellman.
This fundraising event is held in honour of Richard’s wife Suellen, who has advanced young onset Alzheimer’s disease and has been in High Care since December 2015 and whose 69th birthday coincided with the 10th Wipeout Dementia event.
Morgans is the major sponsor for Wipeout Dementia November 2019.
Secondary sponsors are m3property, Winten Property Group, Aoyuan International and Colliers International Residential. Hurley is apparel sponsor.
In-kind event bag sponsors were Bounce Balls, Brain Snacks, Fine Fettle, Monster Health Foods, Slim Secrets, Surfyogis, The Bucket List, Think Products (Munch).
In-kind event awards were donated by: Hurley, Dripping Wet, Prevention Australia, Samsonite, Destination Towels, Australian Healthy Food Guide, Three Blue Ducks and Bistecca.
Photography by Sprout Daily.
SURFERS IN THE 2019 WIPEOUT DEMENTIA EVENT:
CLEMO'S DIEHARDS
- Peter Clemesha (CAPTAIN): Director, Avenor
- Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew: 1978 World Surfing Champion & Wipeout Dementia Ambassador
- Ali Clemesha: Key Account Manager, NSW, News Corp Australia
- Joel Ducey: Director, m3property
- Stuart Montfort: Valuation Analyst, m3property
- Jeff Moxham: Managing Director & Partner, Ray White Commercial
- David Scardoni: Director, Stamford Capital Australia Pty Ltd
- Blake Schulze: Director, Colliers International
- George Sharpe: Builder Broker, Haigs Builder Brokers
CLIFF'S CARVERS
- Craig Rodgers (CAPTAIN): Innovation Lead (Office), Charter Hall
- Scott Anderson: Director, Colliers International
- Brett Eichhorn: Director, Sense Projects
- Vince Kernahan: National Director, Institutional & Investment Services (NSW), Colliers International
- Brett Newman: CEO, Paramatta Council
- Anthony Scotts: Director, AWM Commercial Furniture
- Brendan Shipp: Director, CBRE
- Phillip Wicks: General Manager, Shape Australia
- Andrew Wilson: Managing Director, AJW Interiors & Construction
PHIL'S GOATS
- Philip Vivian (CAPTAIN): Director, Bates Smart Pty Ltd
- Peter Kleijn: Design Manager, Winten Property Group
- David Michel: General Manager, Landmark Group
- Nikki Mote: Director, Nikki Mote Architect
- Harrison Murdoch: Senior Analyst, Stamford Capital
- Karl Riedel: Finance Lead for Asia Pacific Buildings & Infrastructure, Jacobs
- Alex Rosenthal: Associate, Arup
- Will Rothwell: Director, Winten Property Group
- Martin Taylor: Director, Creatures of Habitat Studio
WATTO'S WAVEHUNTERS
- Steve Watson (CAPTAIN): Managing Director, Steve Watson & Partners
- Pip de Rohan: Founder & CEO, Project One
- Danny Kent: Director and Co-Founder, Ocian Property Capital
- Cameron Hicks: Senior Valuer, m3property
- Rodney Jamieson: Business Development Director, FDC Construction & Fitout
- Badier Kubis: Director, Kaddi Project Management
- JoeO'Dwyer: Senior Executive - Investment, MaxCap Group
- Stefan Perkowski: Director, CBRE
- Craig Shelsher: Director, Custance Associates
DAZA'S DROP INS
- Darren Beasley (CAPTAIN): Deputy General Manager, Aoyuan International
- Alex Beasley: Aoyuan International
- Lucy Ford: Assistant Development Manager, Capital Bluestone
- Michael Gordon: General Manager, Buildcorp
- Alex Kelly: Marketing Coordinator, Capital Bluestone
- David Kemp: Senior Site Manager, Buildcorp
- Josh Millard: Senior Contracts Administrator, Parkview
- Andrew Moss: Foreman, Parkview
- Stuart Voigt: General Foreman, Parkview
To see photos of the event, visit the Property Industry Wipeout Dementia Photo Gallery.
