A Canning cricket club is doing its best to raise money for important research into a fatal children’s syndrome, and even has the state’s Treasurer on board.
The Bentley Cricket Club will host a Family Fun Day and charity Twenty20 match this weekend, with money raised going to Red Nose WA and its research into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
The event has the support of WA Treasurer Ben Wyatt and City of Canning mayor Paul Ng, who will play in the match and hand out awards.
The club has hosted Family Fun Days for about 10 years, but began focusing on supporting SIDS research after the sudden death of a club member’s child.
Long-term club member Glen Hewitt’s son Vaelen died unexpectedly in his sleep in April 2014, just a few months before his third birthday.
Mr Hewitt said the unexpected loss had seriously impacted him and his family.
“We put him down to rest on Sunday in the middle of the day, and when my wife found him later he had died in his sleep,” he said.
“Anything in our life we thought was a humungous problem suddenly became very small.”
He said he has since learnt unexpected death can affect children of all ages.
“We thought we were in the safety zone after we passed 18 months, we thought it only happened to little kids,” he said.
“It happens to kids right up until their late teens.”
Mr Hewitt and his family have since raised up to $80,000 for research into the syndrome, and his advice to parents was to appreciate your children.
“Look after and love them, do your very best,” he said.
“There’s nothing in the world more important than them.”
Through continued research sudden unexpected death in infants rates have decreased by 80 per cent since 1989, but still more than 100 Australian children died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2015.
As part of Bentley Cricket Club’s Family Fun Day, activities and offers will be provided to attendees to raise money for Red Nose.
Local businesses have signed up in support, and owners of business signs around the field will donate money each time their signs are hit by the ball.
There will also be a bouncy castle, face painting, and photo opportunities for children, as well as afternoon tea and a raffle.
The T20 Family Fun Day event will begin at Wyong Reserve, Bentley, at 12pm on February 18, with the match scheduled to begin at 1pm.
