Campaign Crusader: Ronnie Goldberg

When Dr Ronnie Goldberg OAM puts his mind to something, he is unstoppable. In the ‘90s, when he heard about a new operation that gives hand and arm movement to quadriplegics, he campaigned tirelessly with the support of Williamstown Rotary until enough funds were raised to have two beds at the Austin Hospital permanently dedicated to eligible patients.

When he heard that Australia had the second lowest rate of organ donation in the developed world, Ronnie decided to chair the Have a Heart, Give a Part campaign and played a key role in prompting the Government’s decision last year to provide $150 million to boost organ donations.

Then, just as he was getting ready to spend some time on the golf course, there was tragic news. Three close friends were all diagnosed with cancer within a short space of time. Ronnie became determined to declare war on the insidious diseases that had claimed his mates.

He decided the best solution was to raise funds for research into various areas of cancer, including early detection, treatment and medical equipment. So he established Friends-R-4.

"I had three years to raise the money and I raised it in six months," he said. ”It’s just extraordinary how people are stepping up.”

Friends-R-4 managed to raise $180,000 for research by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre into the development of new anti-cancer medication, to reduce the outcome and side effects of chemotherapy. “Chemotherapy is horrendous,” said Ronnie. “As a friend you feel completely useless, standing by and watching someone you love go through it. That’s how I felt and that’s how I got started.”

Another project they raised funds for was triggered by a particularly alarming statistic Dr Goldberg discovered: that 40% of all children who have radiotherapy for brain tumours have permanent brain damage. As a result, Friends-R-4 is raising money for a five-year research study at the Royal Children's Hospital, to produce a neuropsychological cognitive test that may help early identification of brain defects in children undergoing treatment.

Ronnie says Australia is the "melanoma capital of the world" — sparking his determination to find a cure. He helped raise $100,000 for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre to fund studies into treatments for melanoma.

Ronnie’s newest campaign is The Richard Pratt Prostate Cancer Research Fund at Monash University. Richard Pratt died of prostate cancer and so his wife Jeanne and the Pratt Foundation gladly gave Ronnie permission to use his name. The aim is to raise $2.3 million for translational research including the development of an improved screening test. The Victorian Governm ent has already confirmed that it will give $500,000 to the project.

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