Cathy Manwarring on her late husband, Clayton Manwarring… “Clayton helped out whenever he was needed. He believed it was a charity that needed support.”
Most Australians will be affected by cancer at some point in their life.
Whether that’s experiencing it themselves, or through a friend, family member or colleague, cancer doesn’t discriminate and can affect people of all ages, ethnicities and experiences.
Can Assist was established in the 1950’s by Mrs Mona Ham, a trained nurse whose husband, Dr Harold Ham, was a consultant radiotherapist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital and the Royal Alexandria Hospital for Children. Through their work, Mona noticed how difficult it was for many patients who travelled from rural communities with an increased cost in travel and accommodation.
By 1961, a hostel for patients – the Jean Colvin Cancer Hostel – was established to ease the burden. At this point, several community towns had formed their own branches to provide financial assistance for patients within their community. To this day, 55 rural towns their own branch of Can Assist and more than 3000 volunteers assist every day Australians experiencing cancer.
Clayton Manwarring was one such volunteer for the Cootamundra Can Assist, although he and his family never expected to use the services themselves.
“We do not need to sell how important Cootamundra Can Assist is to the people of Cootamundra that are battling cancer,” says Clayton’s wife, Cathy.
“These volunteers do an amazing job at fundraising and helping our local cancer patients.
“Clayton helped out whenever he was needed. He believed it was a charity that needed support.”
Diagnosed with cancer, Cathy says they were so thankful the service was available to them.
The Cootamundra community lost Clayton to cancer in September, 2025 and Cathy will be running a charity golf cup in honour of her late husband to raise funds for the Coota Can Assist branch.
“Clayton had a real passion for golf and took every opportunity he could to get out on the course,” she says.
“This event is a chance to honour his memory in a way that reflects something he truly loved.
“We are hoping to make this golf day a happy, fund and of course profitable day for our local branch.”
Throughout Clayton’s cancer journey, Cathy says the Cootamundra Can Assist team ensured he had everything he needed for his treatment and was well supported.
Preparations for the first ever Clayton Manwarring Charity Cup are well underway for the Sunday, 13 September event at the Cootamundra Golf and Sports Club, and Cathy urges everyone to save the date for what should be an incredible day in honour of an incredible man.
For non-golfers, Cathy says they are in the midst of organising something, ensuring there will truly be something for everyone.
Elizabeth Kovacs
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