From Dancing with the Stars to wowing the crowds on his unicycle in the Bundaberg Region actor Samuel Johnson is in town to promote his Love Your Sister campaign, fundraising for cancer research.
The down-to-Earth typical Aussie guy didn’t shy away from taking selfies with the locals and Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey this afternoon at the Searles RV Centre Family Fun Day.
It was all laughs as Mayor Dempsey and Sam shared their best dad jokes.
The Gold Logie winner along with his older sister Hilde Hinton were only too happy to speak with families – some who had lost a loved one to cancer – who had turned out to greet the star.
Sam wants to meet you
It’s not the first time Sam, 41, has been to the Bundaberg Region and he said the community spirit was one of the best in the country.
“I don’t want to helicopter in, grab the money and run,” Sam said when asked why he was in town for such a time.
“I’m here to embed myself in the community and am happy to chat and take a moment with people.
“Bundabergians are among the most generous of people in the country.”
Sam said this is one of the reasons why they kept coming back.
“According to our numbers Queenslanders care more,” Sam said.
“Bundaberg is a strong town for us.
“So I’m not just floating through, I love going to the schools and events all over the place.”
Bundaberg a generous community
Mayor Dempsey agreed with Sam saying the Bundaberg Region donated more per person than any other community in Australia.
“It’s fantastic to see the community coming out and supporting Sam and the Love Your Sister campaign,” Mayor Dempsey said.
“While there are millions of dollars being raised it’s good to see Bundaberg doing its part.
“The awareness that comes with the Love Your Sister campaign is important, there’s no worse scourge than cancer – it doesn’t discriminate and the work Sam and his team are doing certainly is to be commended.”
In the name of Connie
Sam and his sister Connie Johnson started the Love Your Sister Charity in 2012, which supports the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
Sadly Connie passed away in 2017, after fighting a number of cancers since a child.
She suffered from bone cancer at age 11, uterine cancer at age 22 and finally breast cancer at age 33.
Now Sam and his other sister Hilde are part of a group of four travelling Australia to spread their message with the On The Road again tour.
Starting in Queensland the group has been on the road for about a month with hopes to reach the goal of raising $10 million.
Hilde said during the journey they had met hundreds, if not thousands, of families who had fought cancer.
“We speak to so many families daily who have a loved one fighting cancer or who has passed away from cancer,” she said.
“I think people take comfort speaking with Sam about this, as it’s a shared experience.”
For Bundaberg locals Rae Hannay and Ollie Costello they had been following the Love Your Sister campaign on social media for some time.
Ollie said after losing her dad Sean Costello last year to throat cancer she realised the importance of campaigns like Love Your Sister.
While Rae said it was important because it kept the “C word” in the minds of community members.
“It’s very important to jog people’s memories to check and look for signs and symptoms,” Rae said.
“Cancer effects everyone, not just those with it.”
Take part in Love you Sister events
Love Your Sister events will be held across the Bundaberg Region until the pair depart on Tuesday.
Tomorrow everyone is invited to the Love Your Sister Family Day at Lions Park, Bundaberg North from 9am to 1pm and on Sunday morning they will be at the Windmill Café in Bargara spreading the word to remind women of the importance of checking their breast.
“I’ll be on a dragon boat tomorrow, so everyone should come along,” Sam said.
“I’ll be the ‘yeller’ with the mic on the boat.”
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