Glenn Brown Memorial event celebrates 21 years and raises $34K for medical research

This year’s Glenn Brown Memorial event, held on Melbourne Cup Day, marked an incredible milestone—21 years of raising vital funds for cystic fibrosis (CF) research. More than $34,000 was raised, bringing the total funds from this event to more than $645,000.

Hosted at Fraser’s Restaurant in King’s Park, the event combined glamour and a generous community in honour of Glenn Brown, a young boy from Kalgoorlie who tragically lost his life to CF at just 15 years old. Glenn’s legacy lives on through this lifechanging fundraiser.

Event MC Famous Sharron kept the crowd entertained while attendees bid generously in auctions and raffles to support cutting-edge CF research. The funds raised are directly supporting groundbreaking CF projects here in our state and Western Australian researchers, doctors and students.

A standout moment of the day was the moving speech by guest speaker Carolyn Boyd (Caz). This year marks 30 years since Caz, born with CF, received a life-saving double lung transplant. Her story is one of resilience and gratitude, as she reflected on the gift of organ donation and the incredible progress made possible by research.

“Without game-changing research, I wouldn’t be here today,” Caz shared. “This fundraiser supports local researchers and projects that transform lives. 100 years ago, no one would have thought you could have a double lung transplant. But thanks to ongoing research, there will be many more miracles.”

Caz also spoke of her unique bond with the family of her donor, Natalie, a young mother whose organ donation saved her life. “Organ donation is the most selfless act. From a terrible loss comes the greatest gift of hope and life,” she said.

The Glenn Brown Memorial event continues to stand out not only for its longevity but for its impact. Few fundraisers have been running this long or achieved such life-changing results. The Institute for Respiratory Health extends heartfelt thanks to all sponsors, volunteers, attendees and donors who made this year’s event a success.

A special thanks to the amazing team who run this event annually – Sarah Cermak, Alison Harvie, with additional help from Jess Tran this year. It’s a small team but they make a huge impact. If you’d like to make a donation, please visit resphealth.org.au/donate-today.