Joint Australian of the Year, Richard Scolyer AO is off to the AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday 28 September, after he announced to the Dreams2Live4 audience, at a recent event, that it would be his dream to watch his beloved Sydney Swans in the Final.

Richard is living with advanced brain cancer, and widely documents his cancer journey for the public - announcing recently that there has been no tumour reoccurrence 16 months after undergoing a world-first treatment for glioblastoma based on research into melanoma.

Richard spoke at the Dreams2Live4 “Lunch with” Sydney event in June, alongside fellow Joint Australian of the Year, Georgina Long AO, his co-Medical Director of the Melanoma Institute of Australia. Georgina and Richard outlined for the audience how their revolutionary research into the treatment of skin cancer by using combination immunotherapy before removing the melanoma, means that in the past decade the 5-year overall survival rate for advanced melanoma has increased from less than 5% to more than 50%.

During that event Richard was asked by event host Peter Overton of Nine News what his ‘dream to live for’ would be. After suggesting it would be to watch the Sydney Swans in the AFL Grand Final – several audience members came forward to help us make that Dream come true.

With thanks to the Sydney Swans Foundation, Belinda Rowe, and Arnold Bloch Lieber’s Jonathan Orr.

Richard’s memoir ‘Brainstorm’ will be published on 29 October 2024.