Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Strike out bowel cancer. This short, simple sentence encapsulated the mission and vision of Scott Rindfleish. As an avid softballer, it was his last pitch. Scott, sadly, passed away on 10 October last year. He was 40 years old. He was a Rindfleish, part of a family of softball royalty in the Sutherland Shire in New South Wales and indeed in Australia. Scott was the son of Andrew and Susan, brother of Adam, husband of Peter Wards and brother-in-law of Kelly Gentle. Their commitment to playing, coaching and umpiring the game has been recognised by the Sutherland Shire Softball Association, by Softball NSW and by Softball Australia. As an international softball umpire, Scott was inducted into both the Softball Australia Hall of Fame and the Softball NSW Hall of Fame.

When diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer, Scott used his time—his final time—to establish the Scott Rindfleish Foundation, with its stated mission to make bowel cancer preventable and eventually a completely curable disease. I'm proud to be speaking about this foundation and am honoured to have recently accepted the role of ambassador to this important organisation, having known the Rindfleishes through our local softball community for decades. The stated vision of the Scott Rindfleish Foundation is to work to increase awareness of bowel cancer prevention, to support patients and their families through that bowel cancer journey and to make efforts towards scientific research to eventually find a cure. We've made significant inroads on bowel cancer in recent years.

Bowel cancer develops from the inner lining of the bowel. It is estimated that more than 15,000 Australians each year are diagnosed with bowel cancer, and more than 5,000 die each year. It is the fourth most common cancer now in Australia and it's estimated that one in 19 will be diagnosed by the time they are 85. Whilst the average age of diagnosis is the late 60s, many more Australians, like Scott, are developing the cancer much earlier. Scott was in his 30s when diagnosed. If detected early, bowel cancer is one of the most treatable cancers through surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Ninety-eight per cent of bowel cancers can be treated if diagnosed and treated early. If not, it is the second most deadly cancer in our country.

So, while Scott was still fighting for his life, he established the foundation. The first fundraising event of the foundation will be launched on 1 September, through a golf day. With support, we can strike out bowel cancer.