Just two months ago firefighter Naomi Cocksedge set a personal best time and raised a record amount of money climbing 1504 stairs up 98 floors at Sydney Tower for Motor Neurone Disease.
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It is something she challenges herself to do every year after losing her mother Pauline and sister Sarah to MND. This year had added meeting after her brother Dr Justin Yerbury, a University of Wollongong researcher determined to find a cure, was also diagnosed.
In recent years she has helped raise over $1 million for research with a team of fellow firefighters who train with her and collect donations from onlookers near Levendi. But this week Hansen and Cole Funerals named Mrs Cocksedge as the winner of the Local Legends Community Award that recognises a local person for their caring and selfless contribution to the community. The accolade was for her tireless fundraising work and advocacy to fight MND.
Mrs Cocksedge was among 260 Australians nominated. Recognition includes an individual award of $1,000 and a $1,000 donation by Hansen and Cole Funerals to her chosen beneficiary which is her brother’s work. “Justin is a researcher at UOW and is researching for a cure. Any fundraising I do I forward onto the university. They have lots of different projects and when you make a donation to the uni you are able to choose where you want the money to go”.
Mrs Cocksedge said since diagnosis his condition has deteriorated quickly “which is really devastating. He is not well at all actually. But he still has so much drive and he will not stop working. As long as he is here he will keep searching for a cure. He is so inspirational. I love him so much. Hopefully every day him finding a cure comes a step closer”.
Dr Yerbury has been in and out of hospital and is presently using a breathing machine to help him breath. He is also using eye recognition technology “so he can move the mouse around on the computer screen with his eye. He is just amazing. He has dedicated his life to finding a cure. He is just the smartest man and it it is just amazing his drive and dedication”.
Mrs Cocksedge does not plan on stopping her fundraising efforts and will be back out training along the Wollongong foreshore and up and down the escarpment at Sublime Point in early 2018.
She is motivated by her and her Team Zulu’s achievement in October.
“As a group we raised about $35,000 and individually I raised $17,000,” she said.
Funny videos produced by one of the team members really helped in 2017 and the community can expect to see more of that on Youtube during the next 10 months.
It was one of Mrs Cocksedge’s team who nominated her for the Local Legends Award because of her efforts over three years with the annual Tower Climb.
“He knows that over many years I have been fundraising with many different events from movie nights to high-teas,” she said.
“He nominated me and I was very surprised to find out I had won. The award is really great because it is another way of getting MND awareness out there. The award comes from Hanson and Cole. I have a good feeling they are going to continue supporting the uni and the research.”
Mrs Cocksedge said she had beaten her time and fundraising for each of the last three years at the Sydney Tower event but doesn’t know how many years she can achieve that.
“I got under 20 minutes for the first time this year,” she said.
Mrs Cocksedge’s next fundraising event is a gingerbread night on Thursday that she does every year at Windang Surf Club.
She said many of the same people kept supporting her events but in 2018 she would love to include more people and is planning a Christmas in July as a new fundraising activity other people can get involved with. She hopes hundreds will turn out for a fun night for a good cause next July.
Each day two Australians die from Motor Neurone Disease. Most patients die within three to five years of first experiencing symptoms. The disease presently has no known cause or cure which is why research is so urgently sought.
Mrs Cocksedge said people can donate at any time to help that work. Donations can be made on the UOW website site and selecting Motor Neurone Disease Reseach in the select a giving option.
Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
