Ready for a night that’s equal parts glamorous and meaningful?
The Tits & Toggles Committee, February 2025
In late 2021, in discussion with friends, the desire for a big party emerged, on top of which the diagnosis of both prostate and breast cancer occurred within that circle of friends. As a result, to create awareness and funds, said big party turned into an idea: The Tits & Toggles Black Tie Ball.
Eyebrows were raised, but giggles ensued at the cheeky name and word spread of a charity event that supported the Riverina’s breast and prostate cancer community.
The idea was driven by two women, Penny Lamont and Jenni Stephenson, having previously raised money for several charities through exceptionally creative events over the span of three decades and with a focus on Wagga-based charities. An enthusiastic committee was formed to drive the work needed for such an event to come to life.
March 2024 saw the first Tits & Toggles Black Tie Ball eventuate and a roaring $80,000 raised for its mighty cause. All that was raised has remained in the Riverina, with monies donated to Calvary Gift Fund’s Breast Care Unit and to Prostate Cancer Australia’s Wagga Wagga Prostate Nurse.
“After such enormous success and clear want for another, we were keen to bring it back, this time with a more seducing appeal,” committee member, Mary Lou Cann hints, “Guests will certainly be in for a fun night!”
For the 2025 ball, the committe has raised the bar and is looking to raise all the funds to purchase a Faxitron® machine, an in-theatre, specimen x-ray machine that has been identified by the medical specialists to be a vital piece of equipment.
The Faxitron® machine costs approximately $100,000, so the committee’s goal for this year’s charity ball is to raise that $100,000 to buy this important machine outright.
“Having this machine in our surgical arsenal will greatly improve surgery precision and will decrease surgery times for public and private patients,” notes local radiologist, Dr Nick Stephenson AM.
On the Faxitron® machine’s value to in-theatre practice, Dr Stephenson explains that:
“[without a Faxitron® machine] the cancer specimen needs to be sent down to the radiology department to determine if all signs of cancer have been extracted, which takes a fair amount of time through several different points of contact, versus turning around in-theatre and determining this much more efficiently. This not only saves time but becomes more comfortable for the patient, who in some instances needs to be woken up and put back under anaesthetic due to the lengthy process in between of having the cancer specimen checked.”
At present, over 10 fantastic local Wagga Wagga businesses are secured sponsors of the masquerade-themed ball, bringing in over $30,000 of donations alone.
Event name: T&T Masquerade Charity Ball
Event date: Saturday 15 March, 2025
Event location: Murrumbidgee Turf Club, Wagga Wagga
Event cause: Breast and prostate cancer
Ticket sales: $175 per ticket, available via bit.ly/TTBALL
