John Farnham Celebration Concert and Lend Your Voice
Head and Neck Cancer Australia was honoured to be chosen by John Farnham as the charity recognised through The Songs of John Farnham: A Living Legend Celebration Concert held at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, 20 September 2026. More than 120 Australian and international artists came together to celebrate one of Australia’s most iconic voices, while helping to raise awareness of Head and Neck Cancer and support HANCA’s work for people affected by the disease.
John Farnham's experience of oral cancer has resonated with Australians across the country and brought greater attention to a disease that can affect speech, swallowing, eating, appearance, confidence and connection with others.
Opportunities like this do not come along often. With HANCA's message reaching more than 14,000 concertgoers at Rod Laver Arena, national media coverage and support from some of Australia's most recognised artists, we wanted to make the most of this unique opportunity through our Lend Your Voice campaign. Our aim was not only to raise awareness during the concert itself, but to build lasting support for people affected by Head and Neck Cancer.
Across the weekend, we invited the public to learn more about Head and Neck Cancer, share messages of support and help raise funds for Australians affected by the disease.
A weekend to remember
The response was extraordinary. More than 300 people received free oral cancer checks at activations in Bourke Street Mall and Rod Laver Arena, delivered by a team of 10 volunteer specialist dentists. While many attendees were reassured following their screening, 22 people were referred to their GP or dentist for further investigation. Every conversation helped raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of oral cancer and the importance of early detection.
More than 40 HANCA volunteers also generously gave their time to collect donations, share information about Head and Neck Cancer and engage with concertgoers.
We are incredibly grateful to all our volunteers for their enthusiasm, energy and commitment throughout the weekend, helping make HANCA's involvement such a success.
Celebrating our community
The concert weekend also gave us the opportunity to bring together patients, families, healthcare professionals, supporters and partners at a special HANCA cocktail reception before the concert. We were delighted to celebrate HANCA's first decade alongside members of our community, with a special performance by Michael Paynter, whose generosity and support helped make the evening truly special. The event was warmly hosted by HANCA Ambassador and Channel 9 journalist Brittany Coles, creating a wonderful opportunity to connect and celebrate how far our community has come.
Lend Your Voice Momentum
What began as a unique opportunity to raise awareness during the concert has grown into a national movement bringing together artists, partners, supporters and the Head and Neck Cancer community.
From Hugh Jackman, Human Nature and Tina Arena to corporate partners, members of the Head and Neck Cancer community, supporters and fans across Australia, people from all walks of life have lent their voices to the cause.
Thanks to the generosity of supporters across the country, more than $130,000 has been raised by Head and Neck Cancer Australia towards our goal of raising $1 million over 12 months. These funds will help us continue to provide free access to specialist nurses, counselling, trusted information and advocacy for people affected by Head and Neck Cancer.
We look forward to sharing further updates, including the final contribution from the concert, in the coming months.
To everyone who donated, attended the concert, shared our message, volunteered their time or contributed in any way, thank you for lending your voice. We are deeply grateful to the Farnham family, the performing artists, corporate partners, clinicians, volunteers and supporters who helped make the weekend such a success.
The music may have ended, but the impact continues. Follow the Lend Your Voice page to track our progress and learn how you can help us reach our $1 million goal.
Tarnia Quigley left a message for HANCA HEROES Here’s to the warriors, the survivors, the ones still recovering and the ones having a bloody hard day. Cancer may have messed with our heads and necks …… but it didn’t take our sense of humour!
| Kim Hall left a message for Kim Hall and Jenny Field We became forever friends through HNC survivorship. We are grateful everyday and it would be grand to attend John Farnham concert with her.. 💜💜
| Tracey Fisher left a message for Patients, Families and Medical personnel “I never got to hear the voice my husband had before his aggressive head and neck cancer — but I fell in love with the one he came home with. That voice, and the man cancer helped shape, carried me through my own breast cancer journey a few years ago. He was my rock: patient, tender, and unshakeable, because he’d already walked that road himself. This message is for every specialist, doctor, nurse, speech & physical therapist, and all the other health support workers who gave him — and later, indirectly, gave me — the gift of his survival. You don’t just save lives, you build the families that come after. Thank you for letting love have a voice.”
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Read more and Lend Your Voice.
We are deeply grateful to the generous support of our partners:
