AN impressive $44,000 - and counting - was raised by the Warrnambool community to find a cure for cancer at the weekend's Relay For Life event.
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While the fundraising number is a slight decrease on previous years due to bushfire relief efforts across the country, committee member Fran Hynes said there were record numbers of teams.
"The banking closes in another month so we never really know the total until then but we announced $44,000 at the event," she said.
"The fundraising total was down everywhere because of the bushfires, and rightfully so.
"The number of teams were up, with 36 registered overall."
For Ms Hynes, the candlelight ceremony was the highlight of the event.
"It's always the candlelight ceremony, it was absolutely beautiful yet again," she said.
"We always had someone on the track doing laps no matter what time of the night. We even had some secondary students running the track, and not just for half an hour, they run for hours which is lovely to see."
This year marks the 18th Relay For Life held in Warrnambool.
"Every event is different but the formula doesn't change and the reason why people attend doesn't change," said Ms Hynes, who has been relaying for 17 years.
"For me I simply do it because I can; I have not had cancer but I've had many family and friends who have.
"I do it because I can raise money that directly helps people."
The Relay For Life Warrnambool committee is looking for more members to join.
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