When Anne-Marie Sparrow, Founder and Managing Director of CUBE, first met Richard Vines, CEO of Rare Cancers Australia (RCA), she thought he was “slightly mad”.

“He told me that he and his wife were walking from Parliament House in Canberra to the top of Mount Kosciuszko and I honestly thought it was outlandish,” Anne-Marie shared.

“But of course, they did it! And in true Kate and Richard style, they showed an immense sense of leadership, determination, resilience, and purpose.”

That would become known as the inaugural Kosi Challenge, and for the next 10 years the event would go from strength-to-strength for Australians impacted by rare, less common and complex cancers.

“Richard always said to me ‘if you want to make a difference, you show up’ and that’s why I continue to do Kosi and why CUBE is proud to support it,” Anne-Marie said.

“This will be my 8th Kosi Challenge and I can’t wait. Each year brings something different but what remains the same is how inspiring the event is.

“Getting to meet the people behind the cause – those impacted by rare cancers, their families, friends and work colleagues – is incredibly humbling. Talking to them about their experiences and sharing a drink with them after a long climb is what brings it all home, and that’s what makes the trek worth it,” Anne-Marie said.

Anne-Marie and CUBE, a Sydney-based public relations and communications agency, is once again sponsoring the #KosiChallenger photo competition.

The activity asks in-person and virtual Kosi Challenge participants to take a photo of what makes them a #KosiChallenger before 17 March – this could showcase how they’re training or preparing for this year’s Challenge, it could be a way to share a source of inspiration, or an avenue for some fun and games. The sky’s the limit!

The best team and individual photo will be selected and awarded $2,500 each towards their fundraising totals.

“I didn’t understand the grave nature of ‘rare’ until I met Richard,” Anne-Marie added

“It’s an issue that gets overlooked, leaving far too many Australians forgotten and flying ‘under the radar’. We need to take a stand together to show them that we see them, that they count and just because they’re ‘rare’ it doesn’t mean their journeys are any less important.

“That’s why I climb and that’s why more individuals and businesses should join us at the top of Australia too.”

Join RCA’s very own Jaime and James on their lunch time training for the #kosichallenge!

Kosi is fun, but cancer is no laughing matter.