In 2006 at the age of 28, Scott Polglase lost his battle with melanoma. One of Scott’s quirks was his aversion to five cent pieces. He would empty the pesky coins from his wallet at every opportunity.
So… to honour Scott’s memory, his young widow Kirrilley and his family began the five cent collection to help fight the disease that took their much loved husband, son and brother. For the past 15 years, HMF have handed the Gimme 5 money boxes out to the local community at every given opportunity and in 2021, 15 years after Scott lost his battle with melanoma, this initiative has raised in excess of $47,000 for the Hunter Melanoma Foundation.
The funds from the Gimme 5 campaign have allowed us to continue our work in providing education about prevention and early detection of melanoma, providing support to melanoma patients and their families in the Hunter Region, providing funds for local research and providing support to the Newcastle Melanoma Unit.
One of Scott’s quirks was his aversion to five cent pieces—so in his memory, his family began collecting them and donating the proceeds to HMF. Simply contact us to obtain a money box, fill it and bank it and you’ll be contributing to Scott’s legacy and the vital work we do at HMF.
With your help, over the past 35+ years, we’ve been working to defeat melanoma—and we know the work we’re doing is making a real difference. But there’s still much more to do.
In the Hunter New England Local Health District, melanoma is now the second most diagnosed cancer (Cancer Institute NSW, February 2024), underscoring the urgent need for continued awareness, early detection, and prevention.
Nationally, melanoma remains the most common cancer among Australians aged 20 to 39. Your donation and ongoing support allow us to continue this life-saving work—funding education programs, supporting patients, and advancing research to reduce the impact of melanoma in our community.
