Organised through the Amie St Clair Melanoma Trust, the event is now in it's third year raising funds and awareness for those suffering from melanoma.

One man invested in helping fight melanoma is Justin O'Reilly who was diagnosed with the cancer in 2015.

"They found a lump on my thigh which got removed, then scans revealed it spread to glands in my groin and lung, so in March 2016 I had surgery which took glans out of my groin and a wedge out of my lung," he said.

"After that I thought I was free but went back for a checkup after a month and scans came back showing I had about four spots on my lung and two on my bowel, so I went on a clinical trial in June 2016, and finished last year in June.

"I’ve been cancer free since October 2017, but still have three monthly check-ups just to make sure."

Mr O'Reilly said a big part of what got him through his diagnosis was support from the Amie St Clair Melanoma Trust.

"When I got diagnosed with melanoma, the Amie St Clair Melanoma Trust were so good to me and my family, they gave us an insight into what to expect because we didn’t know a lot about it," he said.

"It prepared us a bit more for what we were leading into with surgeries and everything else."

Mr O'Reilly will be participating in Lap the Lake with his family and friends coming along to support the cause as well. 

Annette St Clair started the charity with her husband Peter after their daughter Amie lost the fight against melanoma.

Mrs St Clair said the event is an important part of the fight. 

"It’s a walk or run, whatever you feel comfortable doing, that raises awareness for melanoma while trying to promote sun safety and getting skin checks," she said.

"It’s about knowing if you’ve had a good skin check and how important they are - you may feel uncomfortable for a little while getting in done thoroughly and you’ll feel exposed, but in the end it can prevent a diagnosis of melanoma."

Mrs St Clair said she hopes the whole community can get on board and show their support.

"We don’t know exactly how many will turn up, but we want as many as possible - it is a community focused event," she said.

"While raising money for the Amie St Clair Melanoma Trust is amazing, this year we have Trudy Thompson from Wagga Takes Two on board, so money raised will go towards her journey, but all that money comes back to the Trust in the end.

"The money raised stays local, we employ a melanoma care nurse who looks after patients and families that have been affected by melanoma."

Last year Mrs St Clair walked the single lap, but said she was hoping to double it this year. 

"I'm hoping to get two laps in this time, and meanwhile we’ll have volunteers running the barbecue, a cake stall with lots of homemade goodies donated, and a great atmosphere," she said.

The Lap the Lake event is on Sunday March 17, and participants have the option of doing a 5.5km, 11km, or 22km walk or run at Lake Albert to show their support. 

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