By AIDAN KNIGHT
THE 15th Latrobe Valley Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ took place last Friday (June 19), once again raising astronomical amounts in the fight against prostate cancer.
Overshooting last year’s effort of $90,000, the 2026 iteration saw more than $100,000 raised.
The money continues to go toward a disease plaguing men’s health domestically, as the nation’s sixth highest killer for males.
Similar barbecue events are also held across Baw Baw and Wellington shires, making Gippsland an awareness capital for the often-fatal condition, which also has extended to Casey Cardinia, Ballarat, Echuca, Wagga Wagga, and more in previous years (as either a bbq or lunch).
Attendees packed Kernot Hall, and heard from guest speaker Tim Baker – an award-winning surfing author and journalist who was diagnosed with the condition more than a decade ago. He defied all odds and predictions of life expectancy, even though his doctor told him his cancer was detected too late.
Some 120,000 men live with prostate cancer, which claims 3300 lives annually in Australia.
The late Bruce Ellen, former general manager of the Latrobe Valley Express, was one of these lives. He tragically passed in 2024, and is remembered and honoured for his work with the Latrobe Big Blokes BBQ committee. At this year’s event, his portrait proudly hung at the front of the podium, while The Bruce Ellen Memorial Cup phantom horse race was also run again.
Also missing from this year’s barbecue was committee member Barry Whitehead, who is currently undergoing prostate cancer treatment of his own. He was well-wished many times throughout the event.
Emceeing for the fourth consecutive year was comedian and football identity Tom Siegert.
He worked the crowd, held raffle draws and table countdowns. Also making an appearance was his secret identity, a parody character named ‘Sick Rick’, supposedly a prominent local footy coach and sports masseuse, performing comical renditions of American Pie to raucous laughter.
The big ticket item of the guest speaker line-up however was Collingwood legend Peter Daicos. He spent much of his time on stage detailing the irony of being known more as the father of current Collingwood stars Nick and Josh more than his own ability.
Daicos also contributed a great amount to the money raised, with two twin jerseys signed by himself and both sons auctioned off for $3700 each.
One in seven Australian men will develop prostate cancer in their life, while in the Gippsland and Latrobe region, there is a 30 per cent higher mortality rate compared to other areas of Victoria.
Members of the local Lions Club were on hand throughout the day, providing additional support and assisting with event clean-up.
Working alongside the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA), a dedicated committee of volunteers – including several with personal experience of the disease – coordinates and delivers Big Blokes barbecues across Victoria.
The Latrobe Valley committee has contributed funding to a range of initiatives, including research projects through Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing anwd Health Sciences, community awareness campaigns, further prostate cancer research, and financial assistance for the purchase of specialist equipment at local hospitals.
