AFL legend Gavin Wanganeen joins the Jodi Lee Foundation in Port Pirie this weekend to talk bowel cancer screening and why early testing saves lives
If you’ve been ignoring that bowel screening kit sitting on your bathroom bench, this is your sign to pop the lid! Bowel cancer is the second-biggest cancer killer in Australia, with around 15,500 Australians diagnosed each year. The scary part is that it can grow silently for years without symptoms — but if it’s caught early, up to 99 percent of cases can be successfully treated.
That’s why from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 November, the Jodi Lee Bowel Cancer Foundation is rolling into Port Pirie with ambassador Gavin Wanganeen, encouraging locals to start giving two sh!ts about bowel cancer — literally.
You can stop in for a chat, grab information about the free home test kit, and maybe get a quick selfie with Gav while you’re there.
Gavin’s goal off the field
Born in Mount Gambier and raised in SA’s mid-north, Gavin Wanganeen is a name most locals already know. A two-time AFL premiership player, Brownlow Medallist, and the first Indigenous AFL captain at Port Adelaide, he’s since become an artist and community advocate.
His role with the Jodi Lee Foundation is about using his platform to start conversations that matter, especially around health issues people often avoid.
The story behind the Jodi-Lee Foundation
The Foundation was started after Jodi Lee, a healthy 41-year-old mum, lost her life to bowel cancer in 2010. She had no family history and no warnings. Her husband Nick turned that heartbreak into action, creating a national movement that promotes early detection and awareness through campaigns like “Talking Sh!t.”
Their message is simple – get tested, talk about it, and don’t die from embarrassment.
If you’re in Port Pirie this weekend, swing by one of Gavin’s meet-and-greets because giving two sh!ts about bowel cancer might just save your life.
WHEN & WHERE
- Friday 7 Nov – Port Football Club, 5.30–7.30 pm
- Saturday 8 Nov – Café One 2 Four, 8.30–10.30 am
- Saturday 8 Nov – Terry White Chemmart, 11 am–1 pm
- Saturday 8 Nov – Sporties Tavern, 5.30–8.30 pm
- Sunday 9 Nov – Port Pirie Market, 8.30 am–12 pm
Want to know more about how the Jodi Lee Foundation is helping Aussies take bowel health seriously?
Find out more about the Jodi Lee Foundation here.
And if you’re chasing more events, stories, and good stuff happening around regional SA,
Check out what’s on across South Australia here.
