Sean Wight and Jim Stynes – Remembering two AFL Legends Posted on April 18, 2012February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Picture: New recruits, Jim Stynes and Sean Wight in 1988. Photo File Source: Herald Sun When Sean Wight and Jim Stynes came to Australia as part of the “Irish Experiment” (Wight himself was Scotland-born) the legacy they would leave for AFL, for friendship, and for cancer patients around Australia could not have been guessed at. Sean Wight was one of the first AFL players recruited to the Melbourne club as part of the “Irish Experiment”: a push to bring Gaelic footballers Down Under in the 1980s to try their hand at the Australian game. Jim Stynes, another budding young Gaelic Footballer also came to Australia as part of this program. Wight and Stynes became two of the most famous players in this era of Australian football and even after retiring from the game, the pair made their lives in Australia. Sadly however, both of these athletes followed the same path through a battle with cancer. They were both diagnosed in their 40s, and after a brave fight, they passed away within a few months of each other. When Wight was undergoing treatment, family and friends held a cancer fundraising event last year. Part of the proceeds were dedicated to supporting Wight and his family through their medical expenses, but the ACRF was also humbled to recently receive the rest of the proceeds. A generous $10,000 from the money raised will thus go towards world-class cancer research and will leave a lasting legacy in Sean’s name. Continue reading “Sean Wight and Jim Stynes – Remembering two AFL Legends”
Honouring the memory of Aussie sporting legend, Jim Stynes Posted on March 21, 2012February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit The ACRF is humbled to have received memorial gifts in honour of Australian sporting hero Jim Stynes, who sadly passed away from cancer yesterday. Since arriving in Australia more than 25 years ago, Jim Stynes has left a lasting legacy. He is most well-known for his fantastic sporting achievements in the AFL and for his philanthropic work through the Reach Foundation, a youth organisation he founded in 1994. The ACRF would like to take this opportunity to pass on our sympathies to Jim’s family and friends. We are truly grateful to have received donations for cancer research in his memory – donations which will fund world-class research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and ultimately cures for this terrible disease. Click here to add a personal message or tribute to his memorial webpage, or make a memorial donation to cancer research here.
