Community & Business
29 November, 2021
The smallest coins can make a big difference
Students at Clifton State School have been busy collecting coins to form a coin line, which all together totalled $415.40 which was donated to the Australian Lions Childhood Cancer Research Foundation (ALCCRF).
On behalf of the Clifton State School Student Council and school, school captains Lucy and Mia presented a cheque to Clifton Lions Club President Maryann Bisdee and her husband Peter Bisdee, representing ALCCRF.
The funds for this donation were raised through family and community donations for a ‘snail trail.’
Children brought along coins and formed giant trails, with an overall length of 97.6m.
Years 5 and 6 students had the longest snail trail and won the opportunity to bombard their PE teacher, Mr Healy, with water balloons.
Also in attendance was Louise Bazley, whose son James was a student at Clifton State School.
Mrs Bazley spoke to the students about how, when James was a year 5 student in 1999, he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer.
In his battle with cancer, James fought courageously with the help of the wider Clifton State School community.
Neuroblastoma develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body.
James had a tumour that weighed 1.5kg.
Mrs Bazley spoke about how, when James was returning to school for the first time following his treatment, he was concerned about how he would he be perceived by the other children because he had lost his hair.
As soon he walked through the front gates, James was embraced by
his fellow students who treated him as they usually did and he had no hesitation about going to school after that.
James became school captain in 2001 when he was in year 7 but sadly passed away later that year.
After losing their son, Louise and her husband Chris started Can Do Cottage, which gives a place to relax for those with or recovering from cancer.
The effort that the students went to to raise the money for the ALCCRF shows that the school spirit, that emboldens helping each other out, in place when James was a student 20 years ago, is just as strong today.
Principal Rosita Lever said that it was a great opportunity for students and families to contribute towards such a worthy cause and to meet James’ mother.
Ms Lever also spoke about how there is a plaque dedicated to James’ memory laid in the front quadrangle of the school grounds.
Many students would have without doubt passed the plaque and read it before, but this occasion provided a background to James and why he was important to the school.
Mrs Bisdee thanked the school for the time and effort that went into raising the money and gathering it together to form the coin line.
The coin line has been a national initiative from the Australian Lions this year.
Lions clubs have been working with schools, businesses and other organisations around the country to create smaller coin lines.
All the coins are being sent to Newcastle, where the Lions Committee will arrange to lay the amount raised, in coins, to break the coin line world record of 75.24km.
The record was set in 2011 by a school in Austria, BRG/BORG Kirchdorf, which used 4,630,430 coins and is officially recognised by Guinness World Records.
ALCCRF provides funds to allow continued research into causes, treatments and cures for childhood cancer.
