General News
15 June, 2025
Dunked for a cause
Warracknabeal Secondary College's Big Freeze event returned for another year with 12 staff members and four school captains volunteering as tribute to get dunked for FightMND last week.
Organised by the Year 11 VCE/VM Personal Development Skills, teacher Shaune Winsall said the day itself went really well.
"It was great to see a student led event be so successful," he said.
"The students put in a great amount of work throughout all phases of the day, especially the lead up to the day with planning and organising it all."
A total of 50 beanies were sold to staff and students and raised an extra $236 on the day as students purchased tickets to go into the draw to tip the icy water onto staff and school captains.
"It was great to get the whole school to be on board to raise awareness for the FightMND cause," Mr Winsall said.
Year 11 VCE/VM Personal Development Skills students organised the event as part of their course work.
"They had to display leadership, communication skills, problem solving and organisational skills throughout the task, which they were all able to do," Mr Winsall said.
He said students hope to make this an annual event in the future.
Motor Neuron Disease refers to a group of diseases that damage specific nerve cells called motor neurons, preventing them from carrying messages from the brain to the muscles that control walking, talking, eating and breathing.
The disease eventually takes away the ability to walk, talk, laugh, smile and breathe.
Research has shown that MND is more common in people over 50, with the risk growing as people get older.
The lifetime risk of developing this disease is about 1 in 300 by the age of 85, however, almost half of those diagnosed are under 60.
Every day two more Australians are diagnosed with MND - and every day two Australians die from it.
The average life expectancy for a patient with MND is two or three years from diagnosis.
