By Gary Allsop OAM, Non-executive Director, SpinalCure
Our friend and long-time supporter Tony Robinson has a proud history of backing spinal cord injury (SCI) research—and his support continues to make a real impact today.
I first met Tony around 2000, when he was my local MP and the Labor Member for Mitcham. Tony was instrumental in arranging a meeting for me with then Minister for Science and Innovation, John Brumby. That meeting helped spark a major milestone—in 2002, the government announced $63 million for what became the Victorian Neurotrauma Initiative (VNI). This landmark funding boosted Victoria’s research industry and supported a number of important scientificI projects. Without Tony’s help, that meeting—and the VNI—may never have happened.
Tony’s support didn’t stop there. In 2003, he attended my fundraising event at Flemington Racecourse, Celebrity Shirts for Spinal Research, where we raised more than $100,000 for spinal cord research. From that day on, Tony became both a wonderful friend and a steadfast advocate for SpinalCure’s mission.
As a former Minister for Gaming and Racing, Tony has always had a keen interest in the track—and even part-owns several horses. His mare, Look at Mego, proudly raced in custom SpinalCure colours designed by Tony and me. In a generous gesture, Tony pledged a percentage of her prize money to support SpinalCure, and her first win at Casterton resulted in a donation that helped drive our research forward. Look at Mego has since been sold, but we remain incredibly grateful for Tony’s support and the contribution generated through her win.
Tony’s passion and generosity mean the world to us—both as a valued supporter and as a great mate. On behalf of everyone at SpinalCure, thank you, Tony, for continuing to champion the race toward a cure for spinal cord injury.
Gary Allsop.
If you’d like to join Tony in supporting SpinalCure—whether through fundraising, partnerships or donations—we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact our team on:
T: 02 9356 8321
E: [email protected]