Sport
15 May, 2026
Punters dig deep
RACEGOERS at last week’s three-day Carnival have dug deep and given generously to the Leila Rose Foundation (LRF) – with almost $80,000 raised.
The Warrnambool Racing Club, along with LRF, yesterday announced an incredible new record for donations raised during the 2026 TAB May Racing Carnival.
The iconic three day event saw tens of thousands of racegoers donating to LRF via various fundraising initiatives that will now go towards supporting families affected by rare childhood cancers.
With post-carnival tallying now complete, the LRF achieved an incredible $57,543 in donations.
This record amount triggered a cap-out of the dollar-for-dollar matching provided by Beyond Bank, who will also contribute a further $20,000 to the total, taking the final figure raised to almost $80,000.
Dr Andrew Chow, founding director of LRF, made a heartfelt thanks to all those who had contributed.
“We extend our sincere thanks to the dedicated volunteers, sponsors, the Warrnambool Racing Club, and Beyond Bank Australia and we are deeply grateful for their generosity, unwavering support and for helping shine a light on the important work of the Leila Rose Foundation,” Dr Chow said.
“This was a true community effort, with Warrnambool businesses generously supporting the campaign by selling Leila Rose Foundation pins, race day crowds getting behind us, and all with the incredible backing of Beyond Bank.”
Warrnambool Racing Club marketing and communications coordinator Danielle Keilar, said the club was “beyond thrilled” for the Leila Rose Foundation and their outstanding fundraising efforts at this year’s carnival.
“For such a small group of dedicated volunteers to achieve another record-breaking result through the JUMP: A Charity Partner Initiative is exceptional,” she said.
“The local and extended racing community continue to demonstrate the passion they have not only for the carnival, but also for the important causes supported by our Charity Partners.
“As the initiative continues to grow year on year, it’s fantastic to see past and present JUMP Charity Partners come together and support one another. The sense of community behind the initiative is incredibly special, and the result achieved this year is something we’re very proud of.”
Racing club committee member and JUMP initiative chair, Maree Lane, said the partnership with LRF exemplified the community spirit at the heart of the May Racing Carnival.
“The response from racegoers and the Warrnambool community this year has been outstanding. The Leila Rose Foundation brought real initiative to this partnership, introducing fundraising badges for the first time - something no previous JUMP partner has done - and it clearly resonated with the crowd.”
Grant Howland, community development manager at Beyond Bank, said he was honoured to partner with the Leila Rose Foundation as they support families going through the toughest of times.
“Because we are so deeply invested in local communities, we have the privilege of seeing first-hand not only the hard work of these charities but also the real outcomes they deliver for people everywhere.”
