Carmen Holmes, left, with her son Tom, holding a framed citation they were presented by Golf New Zealand in honour of her late husband Greg ‘Holmer’ Holmes having played every 18-hole golf course in New Zealand. Photos supplied Bev Howard of Howick Photographic Society
Keen golfers have come together in east Auckland for a charity event that’s raised $31,600 for Bowel Cancer New Zealand.
The second annual Daisy Chang Golf Day was recently staged at Whitford Park Golf Club by Ted Waters and Carmen Holmes, co-owners of the Daisy Chang restaurant in Howick.
It’s held in honour of Holmes’s late husband, police officer Greg ‘Holmer’ Holmes, who passed away late last year at the age of 58 after a lengthy and brave battle with bowel cancer.
Before the players headed out onto the course, Waters told the participating golfers that this year’s event received a “massive turnout” and had sold out in just three weeks.
“A big ‘thank you’ to everyone for turning out. We’ve got 145 players, which is a big field, and we’ve got 19 holes.
“One of those holes is the ‘Jack Daniels Putting Lawn’, and that was a great fundraiser for the cause of Bowel Cancer New Zealand last year.
“We’ve got plenty of food on the course. There’s six holes with food and you’ll find vouchers and four or five holes where you can have a thirst-quencher.”
More than 140 golfers took part in the fundraising event.
Waters said one of the generous sponsors of this year’s event is Dayne Riddell from Gilmours Manukau, who donated $10,000 toward it.
Other partners include Hancocks, Aramex, Clevedon Coast Oysters, and Jayco Auckland, among others.
Waters then asked a friend to conduct an auction for a golf organising shelf, which can store a player’s clubs, shoes, and balls, and was snapped up for $275.
“We’ve got players from all over the place, Christchurch, all over Auckland, and out of the mansions of Whitford,” Waters joked.
“A special note about today’s round – we’re going to be playing for the Holmer Cup. Many of you are here and supporting Bowel Cancer New Zealand because of Holmer.
“Holmer took many of his friends all round New Zealand to accomplish playing every 18-hole golf course.
“I don’t know how many people have done that, but he took us on the way, and we had some of the most amazing trips to the most obscure parts of the country that we wouldn’t have normally gone to.”
The golfers had the chance to play 19 holes on a beautiful summer’s day at the Whitford Park Golf Club.
Waters then handed over to Golf New Zealand’s Phil Aickin, who said in recent years he’d had two opportunities to play golf with Holmer.
“The last one is something I’ll always remember and I’m sure his playing partner on the day will also. I dragged Holmer 20 holes in a match back in late October, so it wasn’t that long ago.
“How he did it I’m not too sure, but the strength that it took to get through that play … the competition we had was amazing, and I think what had him motivated on the day was playing beside his son Tom.
“It’s certainly a memory I’ll take away from knowing Holmer for the short time that I did.
“On behalf of Golf New Zealand, we want to acknowledge the goal that he set himself. It obviously helped him get through all of those challenges and treatments and look forward to going away with his mates and playing all of our 18-hole courses in the country.
“We are blessed. A good friend of Holmer’s described him as extraordinary, courageous and inspirational. I’m sure over a drink you have celebrated his life in recent weeks.”
Well-known local hospo owner Ted Waters, left, is one of the organisers of the successful event.
Aickin presented to Carmen Holmes a framed citation recognising Holmer having played all of New Zealand’s 18-hole golf courses.
“This is really cool, Holmer would have loved this,” Holmes said. “His 18-hole golf journey definitely kept him going.
“It gave him something to look forward to, and on that last day, when he couldn’t get out of bed, I said to him, ‘you don’t have to get out of bed’ and he was like, ‘I’m doing it’.
“I had to dress him, Tom had to put his shoes on, and he did it. So it’s very special, thank you so much.”
There were plenty of opportunities for the golfers to rest their legs in the shade during play.
Bowel Cancer NZ chief executive Peter Huskinson says the generosity shown at the Daisy Chang Golf Day would have a direct and lasting impact for people affected by bowel cancer.
“We’re able to do what we do because Kiwis continue to stand alongside friends, whānau and colleagues through some of the toughest moments of their lives. Events like this make a real difference.
“Thanks to community support, we’ve been able to expand our nursing service so more people can access one-to-one support when they need it, invest in research that helps people recognise bowel cancer symptoms and get diagnosed earlier, and strengthen the practical support we provide to people facing financial and emotional pressure during treatment.
“At the same time, this support allows us to keep pushing for system-level change – improving services, advocating for better access to screening and medicines, raising awareness, and supporting research so fewer people are diagnosed too late.
“Every dollar raised helps us stand beside people affected by bowel cancer and work towards better outcomes for families across Aotearoa.”