Gold Logie winning actor, author and advocate, Samuel Johnson, is visiting Lakes Entrance tonight as part of a two-year Australian tour to raise money for medical research.
As co-founder of Love Your Sister, a charity set up after his late sister Connie’s diagnosis with terminal breast cancer, Johnson has raised more than $10 million towards Connie’s dream of “vanquishing all cancers, now”.
As part of the quest to beat cancer, Love Your Sister is hosting a sunset cruise along the Gippsland Lakes on Thunderbird tonight at 6.30pm with Johnson the special guest.
Tickets are available at the trybooking website with each ticket including a complementary glass of bubbly, onboard finger food, live entertainment and a lucky door prize entry.
There will be drinks available at bar prices and raffles, games and auctions.
The cruise departs from the Post Office Jetty at 6.30pm.
While in East Gippsland Johnson will also visit staff and patients in the oncology ward at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, meet children at local schools, visit IGA supermarkets, and attend a fundraising cocktail party at Pier 70, in Paynesville.
“The community response to this fundraising tour surprises me every day,” Johnson said.
“It’s been a combination of two things: learning how to do my job well, and that there’s way too many families similarly affected by cancer… I’m overwhelmed by the love I’m shown every day.”
Johnson rose to fame on the award-winning TV drama, The Secret Life of Us, in 2001 and won a Gold Logie for his leading role in the mini-series Molly in 2016.
In 2014, Johnson raised more than $1.4 million for cancer research by riding his unicycle 15,955 kilometres around Australia.
He has since galvanised his village and aims to lift that number well beyond $10 million through the recently launched F* Cancer Bank, which allows people to make small donations each month.
In 2016 Johnson was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to cancer research support organisations and to the performing arts.
He was Victoria’s candidate in the 2018 Australian of the Year.
PICTURED: Samuel Johnson is visiting Lakes Entrance tonight as part of a two-year Australian tour to raise money for medical research. (PS)
