SAHMRI 2: Commercial & General founder Jamie McClurg donates $1m to Adelaide proton therapy and research centre

It is a gift of mind-boggling generosity – an Adelaide philanthropist has given $1m to a planned new cancer therapy unit.

A $1m philanthropic donation will turbocharge South Australia’s place as an international cancer treatment centre based around the planned proton therapy unit to destroy inoperable tumours.

The nation’s first unit will be at the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research — previously known as SAHMRI 2 - being built next to the original South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) headquarters in the Adelaide BioMed City precinct.

Founder of leading construction firm Commercial & General Jamie McClurg has made a $1m donation for The McClurg Brain Cancer Fellowship to attract a leading brain cancer clinician/researcher on a multi-year appointment.

SAHMRI executive director Professor Steve Wesselingh hailed the donation as “transformational” in the fight against brain cancer.

“Jamie’s generosity will make all the difference and the timing is ideal as we work towards delivering the most advanced cancer treatment available at the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research,” Prof Wesselingh said.

SAHMRI Executive Director Professor Steve Wesselingh with Commercial & General founder Jamie McClurg. Picture: Keryn Stevens

“A donation of this scale from an individual is extremely rare for Adelaide and we are fortunate that in Jamie we have someone who has both a deep understanding of and a passion for health as well as the ability to think big.”

Commercial & General is the State’s largest developer, responsible for $2.2bn in projects including the new Calvary Adelaide Hospital and the half-billion dollar Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy.

It was this association and learning how proton therapy would be a gamechanger for cancer patients, particularly children, that prompted Mr McClurg’s gift.

“Health is one of the key pillars of our State’s future economic growth, and it is generally acknowledged that a strong health economy can only exist if it is underpinned by a powerful medical research capability,” he said.

“SAHMRI is the flagship of that capability in South Australia but, as a comparatively young institute, it has become something of a victim of its own success.

“The Productivity Commission recently made note of SAHMRI’s significant contributions to our state’s medical research sector, however for every dollar of competitive grant funding won, institutes like SAHMRI need to find another fifty cents in third party funding to cover the gap in overheads that grants don’t meet.

“I can’t cure cancer. But I believe it’s up to people like me who have built my life in South Australia to ensure we are doing as much as we can to help those who are devoting their professional lives to creating a healthier future for our children.”

SAHMRI is approaching potential candidates for The McClurg Brain Cancer Fellowship with an appointment expected to be made early in 2022, while the proton beam therapy unit should be ready to treat patients in 2024-25.

As an independent not-for-profit research institute, SAHMRI relies on the generosity of the community it serves to continue its life-changing research.

“We can’t do what we do without the support of our community,” Prof Wesselingh said.

“Philanthropic donations give us the flexibility to pursue research where it is most needed, without needing to adhere rigidly to the controls placed on public funding.

“We have so many wonderful supporters across business, community groups and individuals, but a contribution like this from Jamie speaks to the boldness of his leadership.

“This donation, I believe, is another indication that Adelaide is maturing as an economy and that our philanthropic community is growing alongside that.”