The E.J. Whitten Foundation has been chosen as the next Clipsal supported charity for 2012 and 2013. The foundation aims to decrease the prostate cancer fatality rate in Australia through increased education and awareness of prostate cancer and raise funds for research.

David Raggatt, Club Clipsal Customer Relations Manager said that the partnership was a great fit for Clipsal.

“So many of our customers and Club Clipsal Members are male and many of them are in that age bracket that you would consider at risk. Our members are totally behind the charity and we look forward to working with the foundation and giving our support.”

Ted Whitten Jr welcomed Clipsal’s support and welcomed “new opportunities” to promote prostate cancer awareness.

The legend of E.J. Whitten

Edward James ‘Ted’ Whitten played 321 games for the Footscray Football Club between 1951 and 1970. He went from strength to strength in the game; from kicking a goal with his first kick in his first match, to winning the Premiership in 1954 and captaining the side for 13 years. Ted was selected as captain of the AFL Team of the Century and became known as ‘Mr. Football’.

Two months before he passed away from prostate cancer in 1995 Ted made an emotional public appearance at the MCG. Ted was driven on a lap of honour around the ground before a State of Origin game. With his son, Ted Jnr., by his side he received a standing ovation from the crowd. It is now regarded as one of the greatest emotional scenes in Aussie Rules history. That lap of honour and his passing led to the foundation that bears his name and the annual AFL Legends Game.

Ted was honoured with a state funeral and the Western Oval in Melbourne was renamed the Whitten Oval as a mark of respect.

The Whitten Foundation

The E.J. Whitten Foundation is a men’s health charity organisation that raises funds to tackle prostate cancer and save lives. They do so by increasing community awareness of prostate cancer, encouraging early detection of it and raising funds for prostate cancer research. 

The CEO of the E.J. Whitten Foundation is Ted Whitten Jnr. (also a former star for Footscray), who helped set it up the in 1996 with Footscray, before taking sole charge as a trustee. Ted ran the foundation (and the ever-growing Legends game) on a part-time basis with no staff, but as the foundation’s fundraising and awareness campaigns grew, the need to handle affairs on a full-time basis was inescapable.

Determined to continue promoting male health awareness, a board was set up about five years ago, including the former Governor of Victoria David de Krester. The foundation became a full time national charity with national events, with fundraising golf days and dinners.

Raising awareness and funds

The foundation receives no government funding and relies on fundraising events, sponsorship, bequests and public donations. Last year over a quarter of a million dollars was raised for male health research and awareness, and Ted wants the fundraising and the message to reach all corners of the country.

Ted said, “we are always on the lookout for new opportunities to push the message of prostate cancer awareness. Someone might come up with an idea we haven’t thought of and there is a place on our website for people to submit suggestions. We welcome all ideas as we are pretty busy just keeping up with the events we currently do.”

One such event that the foundation got involved with was the remarkable Pedal for Prostate. A group of 12 Victorian fire brigade bike riders cycled non-stop, 24 hours a day, around Australia in 25 days. Assisted by large corporate sponsors and media partnerships, 22 support crew (including Ted) travelled 15,000 kilometres to spruik up mens’ health and prostate cancer awareness. Each day Ted travelled from one town to the next, spoke to as many people as he could at the local hotel and generated funds through auctions and raffles. The cyclists would overlap Ted and the media team during the night who, in turn, overtook the riders during the day.

Talk to the doc

Ted said that Australian guys are getting better at looking after themselves, but there are still too many of them ignoring the health warnings and not going to the doctor.

“At the end of the day, men are not invincible and they have to look after themselves. They need to do what women do and get tested, see the doctor when they need to, and talk to their family and their friends about their health. Men are reluctant about it, but we want to help that, and it is changing.”

Ted expressed what drives him to devote his time and energy to encouraging fellas to be more health conscious.

“My dad had symptoms of prostate cancer and didn’t do anything about it. He let those symptoms fester for two years and the reason he didn’t do anything about it is because he didn’t have the kind of education that we are trying to give out to men now. No one told him that prostate cancer, which is curable, can be detected before there any obvious symptoms. No one told him that having an early diagnosis or a blood test for prostate cancer can save your life.

“It’s all about getting guys at a certain stage of their life to start an annual health check. Not just for themselves, but for their wives, their children, their family and their grandchildren, so that they will be around for a number of years. It’s easy to get checked. You can get your cholesterol, sugar, liver and prostate checked all in one 10-second blood test. Older guys need to get tested once a year.”

The E.J. Whitten foundation supports many research bodies, including
Cancer Council Victoria, the Hanson Institute SA, Cancer Council Northern Territory and the Garvan Research Foundation (NSW). I am sure you will agree that the E.J. Whitten Foundation is a worthwhile cause for Club Clipsal to get behind. Together we can increase awareness, contribute to research funding and save the lives of more blokes.
Are you at risk of prostate cancer?

Excluding some types of skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men. Approximately 20,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and approximately 3,300 men die from it each year in Australia.

Prostate cancer is diagnosed mainly in men over the age of 50 years. There is no known cause of this cancer, but treatment in early stages of development can cure the disease. 

You are a higher risk of prostate cancer if:
• there is a family history of prostate cancer
• you are a man over the age of 50 years
• you have a diet high in animal fat and protein.