The tournament, attended by many prominent local bowlers including Sheldon Bagrie Howley, was organised to help raise money for awareness of prostate cancer.
It follows the previous year’s tournament which raised over $15,000 with a focus on breast cancer.
The idea came after Nicole Elliott was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and received treatment for the next year, with help from the Southern Cancer Society.
Her husband, Edendale Bowling Club president Shane Elliott, said the tournament was a great way to combine their favourite sport with charity.
"The Cancer Society were great to us, and we wanted to give back somehow.
"We’re both avid lawn bowlers so we thought why not have a tournament, purely to raise money for the local cancer society," he said.
Mr Elliot said the charity made a remarkable difference in helping people through a tremendously difficult time in their lives.
"The support network, you get referred to by a specialist or a GP. They basically knock on your door and ask what they can do for you.
"It ranges from picking up groceries, making sure the kids can get to school — there’s so much.
"When Nicole was going through radiation, she got to stay at Daffodil House in Christchurch for a month and it was Cancer Society who put it on.
"It was fantastic, so hence why we had to think of giving back," he said.
Mr Elliott said the tournament was raising money in a few ways, with prizes and an amazing community supporting the charitable event.
"Part of the entry fee goes back into the coffers; we have raffles, auction items.
"What we’ve found over the last couple of years is there’s a lot of generosity — people giving us money, nothing in it for them, just for the reason of cancer," he said.
The tournament had a big-time sponsor, and Mr Elliott said he was grateful for their generosity.
"Vetco and the Edendale Vet Club, they’re our major sponsors and they fronted up with a lot of money.
"It blew us out of the water, to be honest. They came to us, that’s probably the work we’ve done at the club with the first one. They said they wanted to be part of it," he said.
Mrs Elliot said during her cancer journey, she was grateful for all the support of the Southern Cancer Society, as she did not anticipate how much it would help.
"The funny thing is, you don’t realise how much support you actually need. It’s amazing and overwhelming.
"No two journeys are the same but they [the society] have the answer to just about everything. It’s a fantastic service," she said.
In regards to the money and how it will impact the charity, Southern Cancer Society manager Gavin Booth said he could provide an example.
"What it translates to, today, for example, we had a referral at 8.15 this morning of a man [who] lives in a rural area diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"How it practically looks is today, we will connect with him, put a wrap-around support network in place, and make sure all the services and support he needs to navigate the journey of cancer are there," he said.
