Cowra And Canowindra Ready For Royce’s Big Walk

IMAGE: Cowra Rugby League legend Royce Simmons with his wife Leanne. ‘Royce’s Big Walk’ starts on May 17.

There are two great opportunities for Cowra and Canowindra locals to support rugby league legend Royce Simmons this month, with a fundraising lunch and dinner to be held in Canowindra and Cowra.

Royce Simmons, a Penrith Panthers great originally from Gooloogong, was diagnosed with dementia earlier this year, and will be embarking on a 300km walk from Gooloogong to Penrith over 10 days from May 17.

The walk, named ‘Royce’s Big Walk’, will be raising funds and awareness to aid Alzheimer’s disease research.

There will be numerous fundraising events along Royce’s journey, the first of which will be before the walk begins at the Canowindra Services Club on Sunday May 15.

The event is a special luncheon at the Canowindra Services Club starting at 12pm, and will feature Royce himself along with special guests in fellow former Penrith Panthers players Paul Dunn, Craig Gower and Tony Butterfield.

The event will feature speeches from Royce and his special guests, along with live music from Henry Duguid and Macey Boland, who is a Gooloogong local and is Royce’s niece.

Royce has strong ties to Canowindra, having played junior rugby union there in the early 1970’s before playing rugby league for the Canowindra Tigers in 1978, winning the ‘Player of The Year’ award that season in the Group 11 First Division competition before moving to the Cowra Magpies the following year. Tickets for the event can be purchased from the Canowindra Services Club or online at https://www.stickytickets.com.au/b3t93/royces_big_walk.aspx?fbclid=IwAR3yBQ4vR14ddCG-qCicGodZNjHPhciFNSrPuIO -caCRG6tjjMx5SOKt6Skg.

Tickets are $65 per head with a large portion of sales going directly to Royce Simmons’ charity thanks to sponsorships from the Canowindra Services Club, donating its hall for the lunch, and Montrose House and the Royal Hotel, donating rooms to accommodate the special guests.

After Royce’s first day of walking on May 17, he will host a ‘Sportsman’s Dinner’ in Cowra at the Cowra Bowling Club, which will feature special guests rugby league legends Darryl Brohman (MC), Andrew Farrar and Brad Fittler.

The dinner kicks off at 6:30pm, with individual tickets from $110 per head or $800 for a table of 10. Tickets are available for purchase at the Cowra Bowling Club.

A barefoot bowls event will also be held at the Gooloogong Sports Club at 6pm on Monday, May 16.