Whit's Cup of Courage

Whitney was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia in 2004 when she was 11 years old, and in 2010 developed Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare disease of the bone marrow. The fatiguing symptoms of Whitney's condition didn't stop her from actively collecting over 20000 signatures in a petition, requesting that the Federal Government include Soliris®, the drug required for the treatment of PNH, on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

At just 19 years of age, Whitney successfully lobbied the Government and showed Australians, suffering from rare and life-threatening illnesses, that it is possible to access the same life-saving treatments as those with more common conditions. She underwent a bone marrow transplant on 18 April 2012. However, due to complications with the process, Whitney sadly passed away on 5 May 2012.

With two Australian Representative Players in the Ex-Student lineup, Littiana Field (2023 Australian Open Indoor Hockey Team) and Tegan Neowhouse (2023 Australian Junior Indoor Hockey Team and 2023 Australian Hockey 5's Team) this was going to be a great challenge for our Senior Firsts.

As expected the game was of high standard and exciting until the very end. The ball moved from end to end, entertaining the crowd. It was our Senior Firsts who had most of the attack around the goals and shots were plentiful. So many of these shots had onlookers amazed, however, Tegan Neowhouse, wowed onlookers further as she displayed why she is one of the strongest goalies in Australia.

Whitney's mother, Robyn, and brother, Durham, were in attendance and in a touching moment, Robyn spoke before the girls took the field.

Left to Right: Robyn Lane, Jana Markopoulos (Year 11) and Emma Roberts (Millington)

With no team managing to secure a goal, the game ended in a 0–0 Draw.

It was a fantastic afternoon and so nice to see our Ex-Students return to the field. The smiles continued well after the game.