This story was one of the top stories from 2024 and was originally published in June.
As winter and rain roll in, Dry July is just around the corner. Gerald Lynch speaks to Werribee’s Zach Thornton about the cause that asks people to give up or give.
More than 160,000 Australians have taken on the challenge of abstaining from alcohol for the month of July, but few would have stronger motivating factors than Werribee’s Zach Thornton.
After losing his father to cancer at a young age, he decided to jump on board and participate in Dry July during lockdown in 2020.
Feeling that alcohol was too easy to give up, Zach also threw in soft drinks and his beloved iced-coffees, as well as a 31-kilometre run at the end of the month, one kilometre for each day.
Less than a year after taking part in Dry July, in April 2021, Zach’s twin sister Zoe was diagnosed with breast cancer.
This spurred Zach to continue the challenge each year, and instead, run a kilometre for every year he and his sister had been around.
In 2021 it was 26, and this year, with Zoe making a full recovery, Zach will run 29 kilometres at the end of July, to celebrate Zoe, and help continue to raise funds.
For Zach, it took some time to get on board with the cause, but he looks back on it as one of the best decisions he’s made.
“I’ve always felt a sense of desire to advocate for causes, but before 2020 I hadn’t quite jumped on that one yet,” he said.
“I probably hadn’t really entirely reconciled my experience with losing my dad to cancer yet, but then I thought what better way to recognise and celebrate him, and do good to raise funds for those who have gone through it and are going through it.
“I know it’s seen as ‘difficult’ but it’s not, in the grand scheme of things. I do it for those around me and obviously Zoe became a factor.
“If I can run for a couple of hours at the end of the month, and get off alcohol and sugary stuff, and use that to raise a few thousand, that’s all the fulfilment I could need.”
He said being around a football club and being a social person, he has run into instances where abstaining from drinking alcohol has made things slightly less enjoyable, but the sacrifice pales in comparison to that of those battling with cancer.
“Tarneit’s [his football club] mid-season ball has been in July the last two years, and dealing with people when they’re drinking and you’re not can be difficult,” he said.
“If you’re in a setting where alcohol is part of the fun, it can be a bit hard … but it genuinely doesn’t phase me … because what I have to give up does not compare to what Zoe went through, what dad went through, and what all the other Zoes and Dads are going through.”
In his first four years of participating, Zach has raised $12,218 toward various causes, and this year, he has his sights set on a $3000 goal, going toward the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
To those on the fence about getting involved ahead of this July, he just had one message; do it.
“I think it’d be the easiest decision you could ever make,” he said.
“If you have someone you want to celebrate or raise awareness for, just commit to it … the challenge is worthwhile.”
The cause behind Dry July dates back to the first Dry July in 2008. Three mates, Brett, Kenny, and Phil, wanted to take a break from alcohol, so they decided to abstain for the month of July, coining it their ‘Dry July’. They also wanted to raise money for a cause very close to their hearts, so they asked family and friends to sponsor them.
Hoping to raise $3000 to buy a TV for their local cancer centre’s waiting room, the campaign was a huge success raising $250,000.
Since 2008, Dry July Foundation has continued to support cancer service organisations and has raised over $90 million for more than 80 organisations across Australia.
Dry July interim chief executive Gillian Odbert sees the cause as a way to raise awareness and give back to a cause that affects so many people.
“Like so many Australians, cancer has impacted many of my family and friends, including my mother, father and some of my uncles, so it has always been a cause close to my heart,” she said.
“For me, Dry July is unique because you can raise funds to support cancer patients with different variants through so many national, regional and local support organisations across Australia.
“It’s a tangible way to pay forward the support those services have given my family over the years.”
She said in her time working with the cause, there has been many great instances of people going above and beyond, but one story of two sons honouring their late father stands out above the rest.
“Last year we had two brothers, Tadgh and Declan Waddington, who raised over $17,000 for their chosen beneficiary, Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre (BRICC),” she said.
“In loving memory of their father, Mark, who passed away in August 2022 from a rare form of cancer, the Waddington brothers set themselves the task of adding to their Dry July by kicking a goal (AFL) for every dollar raised.
“The donations rolled in, and the boys stuck to their word. In late July, Declan and Tadgh kicked thousands of goals and successfully wrapped up their Dry July with a bang!
“It is amazing what participants will do to raise funds, knowing the impact the services Dry July Foundation funds have on the lives of people affected by cancer.”
Dry July funds support people affected by cancer when they need it most.
Funds raised provide invaluable services – whether it’s a ride to a life-saving appointment, guidance from a specialist nurse, connection to an information service, access to therapy programs or a bed close to treatment.
Up until the end of June, Werribee business Western Landcare Services, has committed to matching any funds donated to Zach’s fundraiser up to $400.
Donate: www.dryjuly.com/users/zach-thornton
