Read the story of The Travelling Golfer and their outstanding philanthropy, which has raised over $210,000 for Professor Robin Anderson's breast cancer research since 2005.
Peter and Heather Wood are no strangers to hard work.
While running an accounting firm with offices in two Melbourne suburbs, they also brought another big project to life. The Travelling Golfer organises tours for avid golfers to play in thrilling locations across the world, creating new friendships and wonderful memories along the way.
In 2025 alone, the Travelling Golfer has planned tours to the United States, Ireland, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mauritius and New Zealand.
Alongside these endeavours, Peter and Heather Wood are also passionate philanthropists who have supported breast cancer research for 20 years.
One of their accounting clients was our very own Professor Robin Anderson, who has been a breast cancer researcher at ONJCRI for nearly a decade. During their interactions with Professor Anderson, the Woods learnt about her research program and the challenges scientists face when seeking funds to continue their work.
“We came to realise the scope of what she was doing, overseeing the team, travelling to conferences, and raising corporate dollars to fund the ongoing research,” said Peter Wood.
The Woods decided they would support Professor Anderson’s research, which led to the inception of The Beanie Charity Golf Tournament.
The first Beanie Tournament was held at Barnbougle Dunes Golf Course in Tasmania in 2005, of which Peter Wood was the initial Chairman. The tournament was named “The Beanie” as a nod to the cold August weather in Tasmania and the head accessory that kept the players warm.
With the first Beanie Tournament being a huge success, the tradition continued. Beanie Tournaments have been held most years to raise funds for Professor Anderson’s breast cancer research, with activities such as gala dinners, charity auctions, and “Beanie Parades” as part of the program.
Professor Anderson and her team study metastasis, or how cancer spreads, specifically in the breast. Metastasis is the main cause of breast cancer deaths. The Beanie has raised over $210,000 for metastatic breast cancer research over the years, a huge feat that has allowed the acquisition of new technology and for Professor Anderson’s team to make strides in their research. Professor Anderson said:
“This incredibly valuable extra source of funding has contributed to the salaries of two postdoctoral fellows in my Lab.
“It has also allowed us to purchase specialised equipment, including a fluorescence microscope and a 10X genomics platform that can simultaneously analyse the gene expression profiles of thousands of individual cancer cells.
“This new technology helps us to identify the genes that drive metastasis of breast cancer – the first step in developing targeted therapies to treat metastatic disease.”
This year’s Beanie Charity Golf Tournament was held last week across the pond in Queenstown, New Zealand. The event has raised over $16,000 for Professor Anderson’s Group.
Professor Robin Anderson was in attendance to present her Laboratory’s research to the Tournament participants. And of course, to play some golf!
Rory Wood, Peter and Heather’s son, has been supporting the organisation of The Travelling Golfer events in recent years.
ONJCRI’s partnership with The Travelling Golfer will allow Professor Anderson’s Group to continue to push the boundaries of breast cancer research, in the hopes of finding better treatments for patients whose cancer has spread.
Thank you to The Travelling Golfer team for their ongoing support! We are grateful for this partnership.
