BRISSY4WARD 2025
Date: 07 AUGUST 2025
STARS UNITE TO RAISE $951,000 FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS WITH CANCER AT SONY FOUNDATION’S BRISSY4WARD 2025
On Thursday, 7 August, Sony Foundation, the charitable arm of the Sony Group of Companies, delivered an unforgettable afternoon as prominent Queensland figures gathered at Howard Smith Wharves for Sony Foundation’s annual Brissy4Ward fundraising lunch, raising $951,000 for young Australians with cancer.
This year marks a major milestone - 15 years of Sony Foundation’s youth cancer initiative ‘You Can’, transforming cancer care for young people nationwide.
The 2025 entertainment extravaganza featured headline performances by Sony Music Group artists, Bella Amor and Marcia Hines. The centrepiece of the event was a speech from youth cancer survivor and advocate Kate Mearns, sharing her inspiring story of resilience.
Brissy4Ward 2025 was hosted and attended by some of Queensland’s most recognisable figures, including The Hon Tim Nicholls MP, Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, QLD Government; Seven’s Max Futcher, Samantha Heathwood; Nine’s Andrea Crothers, Peter Psaltis; NOVA’s Ash, Luttsy and Nikki Osborne; Giaan Rooney, Terry Hansen, James Horwill, as well as representatives from Sony Foundation’s Board of Directors, including Cathy O’Connor (Chair), CEO & MD, oOh!media; Sophie Ryan-McPhee, CEO, Sony Foundation; Goncalo Fialho (Director), GM, Sony Interactive Entertainment; Damian Trotter (Director), MD, Sony Music Publishing Australia; Dr David Rosengren (Director), Director-General, Queensland Health; Lou Barret (Director), MD – Client Partnerships, News Corp Australia; The Hon Brad Hazzard (Director), Former Health Minister of New South Wales; as well as Stephen Basil-Jones, EVP, Sony Pictures Releasing (Australia & NZ) and David Mansfield, MD, The Ascott Limited, Australia.
Launched in 2010, Sony Foundation’s ‘You Can’ initiative has been revolutionising youth cancer care in Australia, ensuring adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer receive age-appropriate, specialised support no matter where they live. Over the past 15 years, more than $20 million has been raised to build five purpose-built youth cancer centres across the country, invest in specialist youth-focused cancer research, and provide vital accommodation for regional patients through the Foundation’s You Can Stay program.
Kate Mearns knows the importance of this support all too well. At just 17, following a misdiagnosis, the rural Queenslander was diagnosed with CNS Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer originating in the central nervous system, forced her to relocate to Brisbane for treatment not available closer to home in Durong.
For over 200 nights, Kate, and her family were provided free and uncapped accommodation near Kate’s treating hospital through You Can Stay, giving them stability and dignity through the hardest year of their lives.
“Exactly two years ago today, I began my first chemotherapy session in Brisbane, anxious, sick, and scared… But after each treatment, I had my own space to retreat to. Thanks to Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay program, Mum and I were provided a unit at Quest Apartment Hotels… Once she set up her Thermomix on the bench, we knew we were home…
"Dad held down the fort on our family’s cattle property, but he did give me a parting gift of a jar of dirt so that I always had a piece of home with me and to remind me of who I was and where I came from… Today, I stand before you, celebrating 12 months cancer free,” said Ms Mearns.
Launched in 2010, Sony Foundation’s ‘You Can’ initiative has been revolutionising youth cancer care in Australia, ensuring adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer receive age-appropriate, specialised support no matter where they live. Over the past 15 years, more than $20 million has been raised to build five purpose-built youth cancer centres across the country, invest in specialist youth-focused cancer research, and provide vital accommodation for regional patients through the Foundation’s You Can Stay program.
Kate Mearns knows the importance of this support all too well. At just 17, following a misdiagnosis, the rural Queenslander was diagnosed with CNS Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer originating in the central nervous system, forced her to relocate to Brisbane for treatment not available closer to home in Durong.
For over 200 nights, Kate, and her family were provided free and uncapped accommodation near Kate’s treating hospital through You Can Stay, giving them stability and dignity through the hardest year of their lives.
“Exactly two years ago today, I began my first chemotherapy session in Brisbane, anxious, sick, and scared… But after each treatment, I had my own space to retreat to. Thanks to Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay program, Mum and I were provided a unit at Quest Apartment Hotels… Once she set up her Thermomix on the bench, we knew we were home…
“Dad held down the fort on our family’s cattle property, but he did give me a parting gift of a jar of dirt so that I always had a piece of home with me and to remind me of who I was and where I came from… Today, I stand before you, celebrating 12 months cancer free,” said Ms Mearns.
Sadly, Kate’s story is not unique. One in three Australians diagnosed with cancer live in regional, rural or remote areas, and they are 1.3 times more likely to die from their diagnosis than their metropolitan counterparts. Outcomes worsen the further patients live from specialist treatment centres. For regional youth cancer patients aged 15–29, these disparities are exacerbated by a fragmented care system that lacks youth-specific treatment and support.
In December 2024, Minister Butler, Federal Minster for Health, acknowledged that 1 in 4 young cancer patients requiring inpatient care still fall through the cracks. While the Australian Cancer Plan aims to address this, stories like Kate’s show just how urgent the need remains.
Funds raised at Brissy4Ward 2025 will support Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay program, an innovative national accommodation initiative delivered in partnership with Quest Apartment Hotels. You Can Stay directly tackles health inequity, offering free, unlimited accommodation for 15–29-year-old regional cancer patients and their families who must travel to city hospitals for cancer treatment. Since launching in 2020, the initiative has delivered over 38,000 nights of accommodation across Australia.
Sophie Ryan-McPhee, CEO, Sony Foundation, said the need is urgent and growing.
“Regional youth cancer patients face a perfect storm: delayed diagnosis, disjointed treatment, and the financial strain of relocating for care. It’s no surprise that their survival rates are lower, and it’s unacceptable.
“A young person in a regional town should have the same chance of surviving cancer as someone in the city, but right now, that’s not the case. You Can Stay is not just a support program; it’s a blueprint for health equity. We’re not only offering accommodation, we’re removing one of the biggest barriers to treatment and survival. It’s scalable, sustainable, and already transforming outcomes. But with demand growing, there’s still so much more to do,” said Ms Ryan-McPhee.
As Sony Foundation and Quest Apartment Hotels mark five years of meaningful collaboration, David Mansfield, Managing Director, The Ascott Limited, Australasia (including Quest Apartment Hotels) said the program is a powerful example of business playing a role in advancing health equity.
“Suppoting young people with cancer and their families by offering accommodation through You Can Stay has been one of the most meaningful partnerships for Quest Apartment Hotels. Over the past five years, we’ve been honoured to provide more than just a place to stay, but a home away from home during some of life’s most challenging moments.
“It’s a privilege to work alongside Sony Foundation in tackling the inequity faced by regional youth cancer patients. This collaboration speaks to the very heart of what we stand for at Quest as a purpose driven organisation, being part of the communities, we serve, and making a tangible difference when it matters most,” said Mr Mansfield.
Powered by corporate and media partners, Brissy4Ward is one of Australia’s most significant demonstrations of collaborative corporate philanthropy. Over 100 organisations, including ACM, Amazon, ARN, Foxtel Media, IGN Entertainment, JCDecaux, News Corp, Nine Entertainment, NOVA, oOh!media, Paramount, QMS, SBS, Scentre Group Brandspace, Seven Network, Sky News, Val Morgan, and WIN TV, united to back a shared vision: equitable cancer care for all young Australians, no matter where they live.
“This is what real impact looks like, industries putting competition aside to solve a national issue. Fifteen years on, You Can is stronger than ever. But we’re not finished, we’re just getting started,” said Ms Ryan-McPhee.
