Regional Victoria groups urged to join 27 September fundraiser

Regional Victoria groups are being asked to film their own Nutbush routines before a major fundraiser in Horsham later this month, as communities rally behind cancer research in Ballarat.

The event, called Nutbush for Hope, will bring hundreds of people to Horsham Showgrounds at 1.00 pm on Sunday 27 September. It marks a decade since Horsham set a Nutbush world record in 2016.

Organisers are encouraging schools, businesses, sporting clubs, dance groups, emergency services and other community organisations across regional Victoria to practise the dance, record a video and post it online before the day.

Weekend Sunrise plans a live cross from Horsham on the morning of the fundraiser, putting the region’s support for cancer research on national television.

People who cannot get to Horsham can still take part. They can make a $10 Donation of Hope or share a Nutbush clip on social media using the tag @NutbushforHope.

Ballarat research institute at the centre

Money raised will support the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, which is based in Ballarat.

Regional oncologist and haematologist Professor George Kannourakis founded the institute. It carries out internationally recognised cancer research from its Ballarat base.

Professor Kannourakis said local backing had shaped the institute from the start. “Everything the Institute has achieved has been made possible by people who believe that important cancer research can and should happen in regional Australia,” he said.

He said the dance event reflected that support. “Nutbush for Hope captures that community spirit perfectly.”

The fundraiser has extra weight in western Victoria. In parts of the Grampians region, some communities face bowel cancer incidence and death rates up to 30% higher than the Victorian average.

Nutbush for Hope is tied to the Horsham Agricultural Show and centres on the familiar line dance that first put the town in the record books 10 years ago. This time, the focus is on turning that public turnout into research funding.