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From Record Breakers to Hope Makers: Horsham's Nutbush Returns

Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute (FECRI).

Key Facts:

• The *Nutbush for Hope* campaign will culminate in a mass community dance at the Horsham Agricultural Show on 27 September 2026, raising funds and awareness for the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute (FECRI).
• People can get involved by dancing at the show, making a one-off $10 online Donation of Hope, or organising their own Nutbush fundraiser at a school, workplace, sporting club or community group.
• FECRI is Australia's only regionally based, community-funded and independent cancer research institute, established in Ballarat in 1998 and conducting research into ovarian, breast, bowel, prostate, brain and other cancers.
• The campaign also carries a serious health message, urging people to keep up to date with recommended cancer screenings and to consult their GP about persistent or unexplained changes in their health.
• The event echoes a Nutbush world record attempt staged in Horsham a decade ago, with organisers hoping to recapture that community spirit across the Wimmera, Grampians, Mallee and beyond.

Ten years after Horsham danced into the record books, the community is being invited to pull on its dancing shoes again, this time to raise funds for cancer research.

Communities across Western Victoria are being called on to dance, donate and transform an Australian party favourite into a powerful movement for hope.

The Nutbush for Hope campaign will culminate in a mass community dance at the Horsham Agricultural Show on Sunday, 27 September 2026, raising funds and awareness for the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute (FECRI).

People can join the movement by dancing at the Horsham Show, making a one-off $10 Donation of Hope online or organising their own Nutbush fundraiser at a school, sporting club, workplace, farm or local landmark.

Professor George Kannourakis, founder of FECRI and a long-serving oncologist and haematologist in regional Victoria, said the campaign reflected the community spirit on which the Institute was built.

“Our research has always been powered by communities coming together. Nutbush for Hope continues that tradition in a wonderfully Australian way,” Professor Kannourakis said.

“Every person who dances, donates or shares the campaign is helping fund research into cancers affecting families across regional Victoria and throughout Australia.”

While the campaign promises plenty of fun, it also carries a serious message for people to keep up to date with recommended cancer screening and speak with their GP about persistent or unexplained changes in their health.

“People generally know when something has changed in their body, and those changes should not be ignored,” Professor Kannourakis said.

“Cancer diagnosis and mortality rates in parts of Western Victoria remain unacceptably high, reinforcing the need for greater awareness, earlier detection and continued investment in cancer research.”

Horsham made national and international headlines when the community staged its original Nutbush world record event. A decade later, organisers hope people from across the Wimmera, Grampians, Mallee and beyond will help recapture that energy for a cause that touches almost every family.

“The original event demonstrated what Horsham can achieve when the community gets behind an ambitious idea,” Professor Kannourakis said.

“You do not need to be a great dancer... I am certainly not known for my moves on the dance floor. You simply need to have a go.”

FECRI was established in Ballarat in 1998 following a promise Professor Kannourakis made to his young patient, Fiona Elsey, who lost her fight for life at just 14 years of age.

Fiona wanted cancer research to take place in regional Victoria so other people might have a better chance. Her wish inspired the creation of what is now Australia’s only regionally based, community-funded and independent cancer research institute.

Today, FECRI conducts research into ovarian, breast, bowel, prostate, brain and other cancers. Its scientists investigate cancer progression, treatment resistance and ways of harnessing the immune system to fight the disease.

How to Nutbush for Hope

People can support the campaign by:

• Making a one-off $10 Donation of Hope and joining the movement online.
• Registering for $15 to become a Horsham History Dancer at the Show, for participants aged eight and over.
• Combine your dance registration with entry to the Horsham Show and make a day of it complete with entertainment, attractions and activities.
• Children aged seven and under to dance for a gold coin donation on the day.
• Organising a Nutbush fundraiser through a school, sporting club, workplace or community group.
• Sharing a Nutbush video on social media and challenging others to take part, be sure to tag #NutbushFECRI #NutbushForHope #NutbushHorsham2026
• Talking with family and friends about cancer screening and the importance of consulting a GP about persistent or unexplained changes.

Donations and Dance Registrations are available through fecri.org.au. Dance registrations and combined Horsham Show entry options will also be available through horshamshow.com.au making it easy to Nutbush for Hope and enjoy everything the Show has to offer.

Businesses, organisations and individuals interested in becoming a sponsor, partner or volunteer can contact Vicky De George on 0405 151 485 or [email protected]

 

Event details

What: Nutbush for Hope

When: Sunday, 27 September 2026

Time: 1.00pm

Where: Horsham Agricultural Show, Horsham Showgrounds

Purpose: Raising funds and awareness for the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute

Information: fecri.org.au and horshamshow.com.au

Follow: @NutbushforHope and @horshamshow

Share: #NutbushFECRI #NutbushForHope #NutbushHorsham2026

Contact details:

For media and interview enquiries:

Vicky De George

Ph: 0405 151 485

Email: [email protected]