The Cyprus Community of NSW has announced its support for the work of the Steve Waugh Foundation at a Greek- and Cypriot-Australian supper club fundraiser held on Friday, 6 February 2026, with proceeds directed to the Foundation.
The event marked not only a show of community solidarity, but also the Community’s growing commitment to science-led medical research and evidence-based care aimed at improving outcomes for children and young adults living with rare diseases.
The fundraiser formed part of a broader series of community-led initiatives supporting the Foundation in early 2026.
Held on February 6, the supper club event directed funds toward the Foundation’s ongoing work with children and young adults living with rare diseases. The evening followed earlier fundraising initiatives involving Steve Waugh AO, including an Intimate Evening at Benny’s Cronulla on 2 January 2026, reflecting sustained community momentum behind the Foundation’s mission.
For the Cyprus Community, the cause is deeply personal. Many within the Cypriot Australian community live with rare diseases or care for children and young adults affected by complex and often undiagnosed conditions. These families frequently face lifelong medical, emotional and financial challenges, often with limited access to specialised support.
“For many in our Cypriot community, rare disease is not an abstract issue – it is something lived every day by families we know and care about,” Kyriakos Panayi, Honorary Secretary of the Cyprus Community of NSW, said.
“Our support for the Steve Waugh Foundation reflects a clear commitment to ensuring that science, care and compassion reach those who too often fall through the gaps.”
Founded by former Australian Test cricket captain Steve Waugh AO, the Foundation supports children and young adults aged 0–25 living with the rarest of the rare diseases – conditions with extremely low prevalence that often fall outside conventional funding and support systems. Its mission is to improve quality of life and provide “somewhere to turn” when no other help is available.
Support is delivered primarily through individual grants for specialised medical equipment, therapy, communication and mobility aids, and respite care, alongside national advocacy and awareness initiatives such as World Rare Disease Day.
“This is about standing alongside families – many from our own community – who face extraordinary challenges with quiet strength,” Mr Panayi said. “By supporting the Steve Waugh Foundation, we are committing ourselves to practical help, dignity and hope for those who need it most.”
Supper clubs, philanthropy and community in 2026
The Greek Australian supper club scene in 2026 reflects a blend of philanthropy, cultural tradition and contemporary Australian hospitality. Across the community, dedicated supper clubs and pop-up events bring people together through shared meals, late-night dining and live music – often with a strong charitable purpose.
One of the most prominent examples is the Happy Friday Supper Club, a long-running group of Greek and Cypriot Australian friends established in 2009. The group meets on the first Friday of every month without fail. What began as a simple gathering has evolved into a significant fundraising force, with the February 2026 event aiming to raise $50,000 for the Steve Waugh Foundation.
Members describe the club as a modern-day parea – a circle of friends who gather not only to share food, but to support one another and contribute to the wider community. This ethos of friendship and responsibility underpinned the February fundraiser, which brought together supporters across the Greek and Cypriot Australian communities.
A science-led, donor-focused approach
Alongside its support for community fundraising, the Cyprus Community has recently undertaken significant reforms to modernise its governance framework, membership by-laws and committee structures, while also strengthening and expanding its services, financial controls and internal operations through the rollout of a state-of-the-art, AI-enhanced membership engagement system.
As part of this renewal, the Community is adopting a more deliberate, science-led approach to charitable giving, particularly in medical research and healthcare. Working with medical professionals, scientists, researchers and subject-matter experts, the Community is identifying priority areas where support can deliver meaningful outcomes in research, treatment and patient care.
Michael Kyriacou, Honorary President of the Cyprus Community of NSW, said the Community is forming an expert advisory panel of scientists and medical researchers to guide this work and ensure charitable contributions are directed toward credible, evidence-based initiatives with the strongest potential impact.
“The intention is to ensure Community efforts are targeted and effective, delivering real outcomes for members of our community affected by ageing and disease, while also benefiting the wider community,” Mr Kyriacou said.
The Community is also coordinating donor support so that individual contributions can be aligned and syndicated into focused research initiatives, allowing funding to be directed where it can deliver the greatest benefit.
“By bringing donors together, we can support targeted research initiatives where contributions have real impact,” Mr Kyriacou said.
“We are also developing a dedicated, independently managed medical research bequest fund to ensure support for research continues and helps make better treatment and care a reality for all.”
Community leaders say this approach reflects a broader understanding that health challenges touch every family at some point, making investment in medical research both a shared responsibility and a long-term benefit.
“Community is more than kafenio, dances, gatherings and real estate,” Mr Kyriacou said. “It is also about supporting science, research and medicine to deliver treatment and care that helps people – not only within our own community, but beyond it.
“We encourage members to consider leaving something in their will to support medical research, so future generations, including their children and grandchildren, are better equipped to face disease. It is one of the most meaningful and selfless legacies we can leave.”
A modern model for community responsibility
The Cyprus Community is demonstrating how traditional community organisations – historically centred on cultural and social life – can evolve into powerful engines for social good.
This modern model is defined by:
- Evidence-based giving, guided by expert scientific and medical advice
- Professionalised governance reform, strengthening transparency, accountability and institutional resilience
- The power of the supper club, leveraging long-standing social bonds to address complex challenges faced by families living with rare disease
Why the Steve Waugh Foundation
The Steve Waugh Foundation fills a critical gap in the Australian healthcare landscape. Because rare diseases have such low prevalence, they often fall outside conventional funding and research systems, leaving families without adequate support.
The collaboration between the Cyprus Community of NSW and the Steve Waugh Foundation highlights a sophisticated approach to charity – one that balances the warmth of parea with the rigour of science-led medical research – while addressing the needs of those living with the rarest of the rare conditions.
The evening itself was a great night in every sense – warm, generous and deeply meaningful. It brought together the wider Greek and Cypriot-Australian communities in a spirit of friendship and purpose, turning a shared supper into genuine support for families living with rare disease and showing how community, culture and shared values can come together to make a lasting difference.
