Cancer Council Stars of Hastings charity fundraiser: Watch the performances

Watch as local legends wow the crowd, while Dancing with the Stars judge Helen Richey, and Mid North Coast locals Alistair Flower and Mark Matheson crown a winner for the charity event.

The Stars of Hastings dance for cancer event — which was the biggest event ever held at Port Macquarie’s Glasshouse — was complete with great music, local performers and plenty of onstage props and stunts.

The sold-out show is the ninth for the ever-growing mid north coast town, and featured an all-star line-up of familiar local faces.

Even the judges were well-known to Hastings residents, as well as any Dancing with the Stars fans, with the show’s Helen Richey sitting on the panel for the fifth time.

Joining her was local pub baron and 2018 fundraising winner Alistair Flower, and Charles Sturt University lecturer and judge’s winner of last year’s event, Mark Matheson.

After each dance, two of the three judges would share their scores out of ten, with the third score hidden until the very end of the event when the winners and runners-up were announced.

Friday night’s hosts were Stacey Morgan (Port Macquarie Performing Arts, Simply Stacey Morgan) and Carolyn (Caz) Heise (local nurse, cancer survivor and recent federal election candidate).

With the fundraising total sitting around $220,000 by the time the doors opened at 5.30pm, locals dug deep to bring it to $288,500 by the time the show finished five hours later.

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After all the dances, a live auction took place with a local Elders auctioneer, with thousands of dollars of local prizes snapped up by bidding audience members.

Then the winners were announced.

Ross Cargill took out the win last night, with his solo routine being declared the judges’ favourite and earning him a score of 29.5/30.

The runners-up were Emma Buxton and Sarah Dietrich Lovelock.

Meanwhile, Mick Ramsey and Makenzie Dobson won the people’s choice award, which was determined by text-in votes.

Check out the full routines in the video above, plus find out more about each star and their dance teacher and cast your votes below.

Jessica Hodge and Kiarna Best

First cab off the rank on Friday was Sess and Sass Design Company’s Jess Hodge, accompanied by Extreme Dance Studios’ Kiarna Best.

‘Star’ Jess was motivated to participate in Stars of Hastings after losing her Mum to cancer.

“You know what it’s such a great cause - raising money for the Cancer Council - I just couldn’t say no to that,” Jess said.

She admits that, at first, her loved ones thought she was crazy to put her hand up for a dance competition, but they all came on board and were really supportive of her.

“There’s so many people to thank, so I just want to thank everyone - including my family and the studio - for their support,” Jess said.

She surpassed her fundraising goal of $15,000, collecting a massive $22,241 by the time of the event.

Jess and Kiarna’s fiery performance, to an upbeat Beyonce and Lady Gaga medley, kicked the show off with a bang.

The ladies worked plenty of impressive moves into their routine, including a lift stunt with backup dancers.

The judges were impressed with the duo, with Helen congratulating the star on her “huge courage” to carry on after a false start due to technical difficulties.

Alistair echoed Helen’s comments, saying the pair did a great job and reminding them of the advantage of performing first: “now you can get on the drinks and have a good time”.

The duo received scores of 9 and 8/10.

Bec Howard and Summa Clare

Breakwall HQ Kiosk’s Bec Howard was next to take to the stage, accompanied by her niece Summa Clare.

‘Star’ Bec believes her name was tossed around on social media, with plenty of locals putting her up to the event, until she agreed to perform.

“I’ve been waiting for that to happen, and I eventually said yes,” she said.

Bec’s loved ones were excited to see her perform, with some of her close friends influencing her to give it a go.

“Everyone jumped online and all got tickets too,” she said.

“I think I’ve got that many people coming along tonight, just hoping I make a fool of myself.

“I really want to thank everyone who came along to my fundraiser night too.”

Bec surpassed her original fundraising goal of $10,000, tallying up a total of $14,776 by Friday night.

After losing her original dancers just weeks out from the event, Summa stepped up to help her aunty with only a fortnight to practice and perfect their routine.

“We’ve had two lessons, so we’re sticking with something that I know, which is disco,” Bec explained backstage.

The star has had a lot of family touched by cancer, and has two friends battling it at the moment.

“I figure, if they can get up and fight every day, getting up on a stage really isn’t too much of a drama,” Bec said.

This isn’t her first time raising funds for those suffering from the illness — Bec often runs events at Breakwall HQ for young children with cancer.

The judges loved the retro disco theme, with Helen commending their efforts.

“You were absolutely fabulous for someone who’s been doing it for only two weeks, and you’ve got a great natural sense of rhythm,” Helen said.

Mark was impressed too, telling the duo “the crowd loved it” as much as the judges.

The pair received scores of 8.5 and 8/10.

Kylie Jones and Ryder Tierney

GI Jones’ Kylie Jones was joined onstage by Port Macquarie Performing Arts’ Ryder Tierney, who stepped in at the last minute to replace Sarah James.

‘Star’ Kylie said she was honoured to have been nominated for Stars of Hastings by a past performer.

Kylie said everyone was excited to hear she would be dancing in this year’s event, “which was really cool”.

Worried she’d forget her steps, Kylie had a backup move just in case: an onstage burpee. But she didn’t need it.

Kylie thanked “each and everyone person”, including her dance teacher and her GI Jones tribe, for their support in her journey.

The former police officer and now personal trainer believes anything that can help us get a step closer to a cancer-free world is well worth it.

The duo’s exotic-style dance was adored by both the crowd and judges.

“That was quite a physical routine, I can tell you put a lot of hard work into it,” Helen said.

“It looked like you had a lot of fun and it’s been great to watch you with your tribe,” Alistair added.

“I love the energy and your outfits.”

The ladies were given scores of 9 and 8/10.

Willow Rissel and Sam Williams

The 21-year-old behind Brows By Willow, Willow Rissel, was accompanied by Soulfire Pole Dance’s Sam Williams on Friday night.

‘Star’ Willow got involved because her cousin was diagnosed at a very young age with leukaemia, and her pop passed away from the illness too when she was just four years old.

Her friends and family were surprised to hear she’d be competing in this year’s event.

“They laughed in my face because it’s known that I have two left feet,” Willow said.

With props and impressive stunts throughout the duo’s routine, Willow’s biggest fear was falling off the pole onstage - but she had nothing to be worried about because the pair pulled off the dance without fault.

Prior to the big night, Willow held a white party fundraiser which helped surpass her ambitious goal of $30,000.

“I would like to thank anyone who has supported me by donating to the cause,” she said.

Willow and Sam’s dreamlike circus routine featured a number of impressive pole dancing moves, which blew everyone away.

“I’ve never seen anything as tricky and fabulous as that,” long-time Stars of Hastings host Stacey said.

“It’s far harder than people realise to come out and do this,” judge Helen added.

“You should be very proud of yourself - and you don’t have two left feet.”

Mark was also impressed, noting the strength a routine like that takes.

The ladies were awarded scores of 8 and 8.5/10.

Mick Ramsey and Mackenzie Dobson

Ramsey Built Constructions’ Mick Ramsey was joined onstage by ExtravaDance Studios’ Makenzie Dobson.

‘Star’ Mick donned a stunning white wig while he pushed Mackenzie onstage in a wheelbarrow.

“Mackenzie is a great dancer and it’s been fun coming out of my little shy spot,” Mick said.

Their branded, construction-themed set and props made for an entertaining performance, complete with a dramatic costume change, weighted push-ups and a Dirty Dancing-style lift.

The routine got plenty of laughs and a roar of applause, with a huge number of people texting in to crown them winners of the people’s choice.

By Friday evening, the pair had raised a massive $21,638 for the Cancer Council.

Mick became involved as a contestant after sponsoring last year’s Stars of Hastings.

“It was like ‘you’re next buddy’, so my name probably got thrown around a bit,” Mick said of his nomination.

Self-described as “definitely not a dancer”, Mick admits the news was met by laughter at first but his loved ones jumped straight on board to support him.

“I’ve had some amazing sponsors and everyone in the public in general has been great,” he said.

“I love living in Port Macquarie, everyone gets behind these things.

“It’s been unreal, so thanks heaps.”

The judges were amazed by the performance, with Helen admitting “I don’t quite know what to say about that, but I’m glad you showed your crutch and your butt.”

“It was very entertaining,” she told Mick.

“Mate that was great, you got right into the spirit of it,” Alistair added.

The team scored 8.5 and 8/10.

Dagmara Saacks and Belinda Burgun

Saacks Orthodontics’ Dagmara Saacks was accompanied by La Vive Studios’ Belinda Burgun on Friday night.

Backstage, ‘star’ Dagmara was reluctant to give away any details about the dance, simply saying “it’s great - it’s a real show”.

They were joined onstage by a number of La Vive Studios backup dancers, making for a colourful routine full of energy.

Damgara and Belinda were in third place on the fundraising leaderboard by the time the event began.

She more than doubled her initial goal of $10,000, raising a wonderful $22,738 for the Cancer Council.

It was a very special night for all the dancers, but especially Belinda who was doing it for her mum who passed away 10 months ago to the day.

Dagmara was nominated for Stars of Hastings by a friend and former competitor, and the reaction from her loved ones was very supportive.

“They were very excited for me, and encouraging,” she said.

“This is totally out of my comfort zone, so I’m obviously nervous, but I just keep reminding myself why I’m doing this.”

The sequin-clad team were supported by loved ones with handmade signs in the crowd, who cheered them on through the routine.

The judges were again impressed, with Helen saying the 2022 competition has been the closest in scores in her five years of judging.

“And it takes confidence to use props like that, so good job,” she added.

“What a performance - it looked like you had a great time,” Mark told the duo.

Dagmara and Belinda were awarded scores of 8 and 8.5/10.

After a short intermission, with music from Ruby Blunt, the crowd filed back into the auditorium for the second half of the show.

Jonathan Maggs and Alana Denley

Port Kitchen World’s Jonathan Maggs was joined onstage by Allstars Studios’ Alana Denley and a number of backup dancers from the Laurieton dance school.

Jonathan is a cancer survivor and this isn’t his first time supporting Cancer Council - he also raised $4000 running the New York half marathon after overcoming the illness.

Jonathan was nominated by a friend and former competitor, admitting “it took a while to get used to the idea, but here I am”.

He said his loved ones were shocked to find out he was doing the event.

“I’ve done things for Cancer Council in the past, but they were surprised by what I was doing,” Jonathan said of the dance competition.

As the doors opened for the Friday evening event, the duo’s fundraising total surpassed the $30,000 mark, more than doubling their original goal of $15,000.

By the end of the night, their tally had been bumped up to first place on the leaderboard and Jonathon took home the trophy for highest amount fundraised.

Jonathan and Alana’s contemporary routine featured moves and costumes reminiscent of Tarzan and Jane.

“It was sort of the first option that we played around with, and it worked so we stuck with it,” Jonathan said of his routine’s theme.

The crowd and judges alike were impressed with the dance, which included stunts and silks.

“My biggest fear is stacking it onstage and making a fool of myself,” Jonathan said prior to going onstage.

But the local man’s hard work paid off, because the routine was performed flawlessly and the judges were impressed.

“The diversity of dancers is amazing, there’s some crazy stuff this year - well done,” Alistair said.

“I’m from Laurieton too, so I think that deserves an extra half a point - great job,” Helen added.

Jonathan and Alana were given scores of 9 and 9/10.

Tahleia Prussing and Evonne Asher

Tahleia Prussing from Donovan Oates Hannaford was accompanied by ExtravaDance Studios’ Evonne Asher.

Tahleia got involved with Stars of Hastings through work, and after a friend participated in the event last year.

Tahleia admits some of her friends and family were surprised to learn she would be competing, but there was plenty of excitement and support when they found out.

Like many of her fellow stars, she was extremely nervous in the lead up to the event.

Tahleia, who’s baby brother was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when they were both young, raised $9,241 for Cancer Council.

The office-themed routine began to Dolly Parton with a chair-climbing stunt, before remixing to Aretha Franklin’s popular track ‘Respect’ with a costume change.

The judges and crowd applauded the team, with Helen telling the ladies they should be proud of their efforts.

“It’s intimidating to do something like this so congratulations,” she said.

“I love the energy you brought to the stage, it was a really great performance,” Mark added.

Tahleia and Evonne were given scores of 8 and 9/10.

Lisa Dixon and Katie Hall

Lisa Dixon, who you may remember as one of the Mid North Coast’s top real estate agents, was joined onstage by La Vive Studios’ Katie Hall.

The Elders Lifestyle Group ‘star’ performed a carabert style jazz routine, set in the 1950s and tributing the men who were away at war and sea.

Lisa and Katie donned stunning white sailor’s costumes and hats, with military backup dancers joining them onstage.

They pulled together the routine in 10 weeks, with plenty of practice to perfect their moves before the big night.

Cancer Council is a cause close to Lisa’s heart, with her father-in-law and other family friends having passed away from the illness.

“It’s really important to support a cause that doesn’t just impact the local area, but people all over the world,” Katie said.

Her supporters were right behind Lisa and the charity when they found out she’d be competing.

“There were some mixed reactions from friends and family, with a few laughs,” Lisa admitted.

“But two-and-a-half minutes of my pain is nothing compared to those suffering from cancer.

“I’d just like to thank everyone who supported me, the businesses who contributed prizes to my auction and those who donated to the cause.”

The duo smashed their goal of $10,000, collecting a total of $17,764 through fundraising.

“We’re really happy with that,” Lisa said of her Bonny Hills Surf Club fundraising event.

The pair’s efforts were applauded by the judges, with Helen saying she adored the 1950s concept.

“I loved the music and costumes, the whole idea,” she said.

“You were certainly very much in time, synchronised, so well done,” Alistair added.

Lisa and Katie scored 9 and 9.5/10.

Emma Buxton and Sarah Dietrich Lovelock

Plum Studio’s Emma Buxton was accompanied by Burlesqfit Academy’s, and third-time Stars of Hastings dancer, Sarah Dietrich Lovelock on Friday night.

In what was arguably the raciest performance of the night, the duo bared all in a burlesque-style routine that won them second place with the judges.

The ladies held a car wash fundraiser and social event prior to the evening at Glasshouse, which helped them surpass their goal and collect $20,900.

Emma was nominated by a friend and said the news was met with one question from her loved ones: “can you even dance?”

Having lost her father to cancer three years ago, Emma was keen to get stuck in and do what she could for charity.

“This is a cause really close to our hearts, so my family was super supportive,” she said.

“My biggest fear is falling over or forgetting a move, or not looking as good as Sarah does up there.

“I want to thank everyone who’s gotten behind me to sponsor me.”

The duo’s dance, which culminated in a topless display, blew the judges away.

“The guys always take their shirts off, so I thought it was time for the girls to have a go,” Sarah told the crowd.

“And I warned my family ‘this is going to be sexy’,” added Emma.

“I certainly didn’t expect that, but my husband’s in the audience so I’m sure he loved it,” Helen laughed.

“We’re lost for words, well done,” Mark added.

Emma and Sarah were awarded scores of 10 and 10/10 for their courageous performance.

Ross Cargill and ExtravaDance Studios

Ross Cargill was Stars of Hastings’ first ever solo performer, taught under ExtravaDance Studios.

He was accompanied by ‘Village People’ backup dancers - including his friend and survivor Dean - with his YMCA performance winning first place with the judges.

The Men and Women at Work managing director was nominated by judge and former competitor, Alistair Flower.

Ross has had a busy year, admitting making time to practice his dance was “a bit of a squeeze”.

“But busy minds and busy people make great things happen, so it’s been a great process to be involved in,” he said.

He surpassed his fundraising goal of $10,000, collecting $15,345 for Cancer Council.

“Dean has fought cancer three times - he tells the story of always choosing the path of least regret,” Ross said.

“So I decided to put my two left feet forward and jump right in.

“No regrets.”

The judges were impressed with his piano solo, which turned into a tutu-wearing ballet routine, before evolving into a YMCA dance.

“It’s been a terrific night, everyone has been fabulous but I thought this was really brilliant,” Helen said.

“Coming out here without a partner takes huge courage, and the YMCA was very clever.”

“This is what it’s all about - having a blast,” Alistair added.

Ross received scores of 10 and 10/10.

The live auction

David Plews of Elders Real Estate Port Macquarie took on the auctioneer role while the judges deliberated to determine a winner.

Bidding began on the packs donated by local people and businesses, with more funds raised for the Cancer Council including:

• $3600 | ladies indulgence package,
• $2250 | Noosa holiday,
• $1500 | glamping package,
• $1900 | private chef and wine degustation at home,
• $900 | health and wellness package, and
• $850 | family adventure pack.

Tara Koellner on the record-setting event

Tara Koellner from the NSW Cancer Council said it was a big lead up to the event, with all the stars recruited back in February for a March launch.

“They’ve been tirelessly working to get all their performances polished,” she said.

“This year has set a precedent in terms of fundraising.

“Last year, we collected $185,000 - this year, already before the show even begun, we had hit $200,000.”

She said the record won’t just set a new benchmark for the region.

“Not only for Hastings, but for the whole of northern NSW - it will be the highest fundraising figure raised for Cancer Council,” Tara explained.

“It’s all for a good cause, so we’re glad to know all our hard work has paid off and is going to people in need.

“The Hastings community has blown me away - their dedication to Cancer Council, not just the event itself but the organisation as a whole, is so heartwarming.

“Everyone’s got each other’s back and is willing to get behind each other so, at the end of the day, it’s the local community that needs the thanks.”