Cherie's double tragedy sparked cancer research crusade

Detailed summary

A ceremony in Melbourne has crowned the Victorian winners of the 2027 Australian of the Year Awards ahead of the national honours in Canberra next year.

In the space of a few months Cherie Dear endured a heart-wrenching double loss.

The culprit was pancreatic cancer, and it's victims her father and her husband, AFL legend Paul Dear.

The mother-of-four managed to channel her immense grief into Dare to Hope - the cancer research charity she and her late husband co-founded to bring much-needed awareness towards a disease that claims 4000 Australian lives each year.

In the years since the Hawthorn great's 2022 death, the Dare to Hope match has become an annual Easter Monday blockbuster between the Hawks and the Geelong Cats, drawing in more than 80,000 fans to raise crucial funds.

Mrs Dear's relentless work to create a national platform for pancreatic cancer awareness and research struck a chord with National Australia Day Council's selection panel, who named her Victoria's winner in the 2027 Australian of the year Awards in Melbourne on Thursday night.

“Cherie has turned personal loss into a determination to find answers to pancreatic cancer," National Australia Day Council chief executive Carrie Leeson said.

“The Victorian recipients are inspiring examples of how personal experience can drive change."

The Bayside campaigner and three other Victorians will join those from other states and territories next year for the national awards.

Nominated for Senior Australian of the year after taking out the Victorian category is autism researcher, advocate and author Wenn Lawson.

Opening of the article, excerpted from AAP. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.