Nerve Connection Foundation

What a wonderful way to celebrate five years of Nerve Connection Foundation!

Last Friday night, our Fifth Birthday event brought together patients, researchers, supporters and friends for a very special celebration of how far we have come - and the people who make our work possible.

Two of the evening’s most powerful moments came from NCF Ambassador Matt Butler, who is living with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, and Aaron Hinttala, who is living with Motor Neurone Disease. Matt and Aaron generously shared their personal stories and spoke about the vital importance of clinical trials and research - not only in finding new treatments and, ultimately, cures, but in giving patients and their families hope.

Thank you to our fabulous co-hosts, Brendan Smith and Nicci Hinckfuss, our auctioneer Glen Richards, and to our generous event sponsors: Ord Minnett, National Australia Bank, McCullough Robertson Lawyers, Elevate Chiropractic & Wellness Centre and Varria.

We are also incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, volunteered, donated prizes, contributed funds or helped bring the evening together. Thanks to your generosity, the event raised more than $75,000 to support our neuromuscular research and clinical trials.

It was a true celebration of five years of connection—and of everything we can achieve together.

Thank you, Tenterfield. ❤️🎄

On Saturday night, the wonderful community of Tenterfield in northern NSW came together for two of their own - Matt and Val Butler - to celebrate Christmas in July.

What started as Val's idea to hold a small fundraiser in support of her son, Matt, who lives with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy and is a proud Ambassador for Nerve Connection Foundation, grew into an incredible evening with 140 people filling the Tenterfield Golf Club.

Together, this amazing community raised more than $20,000 to help fund vital research and clinical trials into neuromuscular diseases.

To Val, Matt and your family and friends – thank you. Your passion, generosity and countless hours of work brought this event to life, and we are so grateful.

Thank you also to the many local businesses that generously donated auction and raffle prizes, everyone who came along and supported the evening, and our event sponsor DMC Construction Group for helping make the night possible.

A special thank you to James Kelly, who did a wonderful job as MC, Jan Ross, who had everyone embracing the Christmas spirit, and Ross Vasta, who kept the atmosphere going with great music throughout the evening.

Every dollar raised will help Nerve Connection Foundation continue funding the research, researchers and clinical trials that are giving hope to people and families living with neuromuscular diseases.

Thank you, Tenterfield, for opening your hearts and showing what community is all about. ❤️

Thank you to Hooper Accountants for your generous support of Nerve Connection Foundation.

Community-minded businesses like Hooper Accountants play an important role in helping us fund research, clinical trials and fellowships focused on Motor Neurone Disease (MND), muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases.

We're incredibly grateful for your contribution and your commitment to helping improve outcomes for patients and families.

With just over a week remaining until the end of the financial year, there is still time for businesses to make a tax-deductible EOFY donation. Looking ahead, we'd also love to connect with organisations considering workplace giving programs, sponsorships, fundraising initiatives, pro bono support, or choosing Nerve Connection Foundation as the beneficiary of a conference, lunch, golf day or other corporate event.

Thank you again to the Hooper Accountants team for your support.

RESEARCH CAN'T WAIT.

In recent weeks, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has once again been in the national spotlight. The diagnosis of former NRL player Jai Arrow and the passing of Neale Daniher AO have reminded Australians of the devastating impact of this disease and inspired an incredible outpouring of support for MND research.

While that momentum is encouraging, there is still so much work to be done.

At Nerve Connection Foundation, we are supporting research and clinical trials happening right now.

Thanks to donor support, we have funded an Australian-first MND research project combining Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and High-Density Surface EMG (HD-sEMG) technology to help researchers better understand, diagnose and track the progression of MND. Participants are currently being recruited into the two-year study.

We are also funding research investigating one of the biggest questions in MND: why do some people live significantly longer than others?

Research like this gives hope. Clinical trials give hope. Emerging therapies give hope.

As we approach the end of the financial year, we're asking our community to help us continue funding the research, clinical trials and people working tirelessly to improve outcomes for patients and families.

Every donation makes a difference.

💙 Donate before 30 June by simply clicking on the button below.

This week, like so many Australians, we pause to reflect on the extraordinary legacy of Neale Daniher and the enormous impact he made on Motor Neurone Disease care, awareness and research through FightMND.

Nerve Connection Foundation Co-Founder and Director Dr Robert Henderson had the privilege of meeting and working with FightMND over the years - most notably as a regular reviewer of research grant applications submitted to the organisation.

FightMND funding enabled Dr Henderson and others to develop and take part in an MND Travelling Roadshow that delivered vital education, support and connection to regional Queensland communities. These roadshows consisted of two-day seminars for people living with MND, their families and local healthcare professionals, and travelled to Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and Hervey Bay throughout 2024–2025, with one final roadshow planned for Toowoomba later this year.

FightMND has also provided vital funding for research conducted in Queensland, including a $1 million Cure for MND Translational Research Grant awarded in 2017 to a research team at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, which Dr Henderson was part of. This funding enabled the team to undertake the Phase I study of IC14 in collaboration with Implicit Bioscience — research that continues to be investigated internationally today.

Reflecting on a meeting with Neale in 2020, Dr Henderson shared these words that have stayed with him ever since:

“I don’t want you spending all your time trying to raise money – I want you working on funding a cure for people like me.”

A powerful reminder of what this fight is truly about.

The photo shared is of Dr Rob Henderson with FightMND Co-Founder Dr Ian Davis OAM, with Neale in the background.

Rest in peace, Neale — and thank you for the hope, determination and impact you gave to so many. 💙

🎄 SOLD OUT – THANK YOU TENTERFIELD! 🎄

Wow… we are blown away.

Our Christmas in July event has officially SOLD OUT and we want to say a huge thank you to the Tenterfield community and everyone from further afield who has gotten behind this event and our cause.

We can’t wait to bring together a fantastic night of Christmas cheer, great food, plenty of laughs with internationally acclaimed comedian and ventriloquist Darren Carr, and to hear from Tenterfield’s own Matt Butler – all while raising vital funds for research into neuromuscular diseases such as Motor Neurone Disease and Muscular Dystrophy.

A special thank you also to our event sponsor - DMC Construction Group - for supporting this event and helping make it possible.

Missed out on tickets or can’t make the event but would still like to support?

We would love donations of raffle and auction prizes to help us maximise the impact of the evening and raise even more for research.

If you’d like to contribute, please email [email protected] or send us a DM.

Thank you again, Tenterfield - we can’t wait to celebrate Christmas in July with you! 🎅✨

Behind everything we do at Nerve Connection Foundation are people generously giving their time to help others.

This National Volunteer Week, we want to recognise and thank the many volunteers who support our Foundation in so many different ways.

To the volunteers who help organise events, sell raffle tickets, assist behind the scenes and contribute their professional expertise, skills and knowledge — thank you.

To the patients and families who courageously share their personal stories to help raise awareness for neuromuscular diseases and the importance of research — thank you.

And to every individual who volunteers to participate in clinical trials and research projects — thank you for helping drive progress towards better understanding, earlier diagnosis and improved treatments for conditions such as Motor Neurone Disease and Muscular Dystrophy.

These photos are just some of the volunteers from the past 12 months. Even if you are not shown but have volunteered in some way - please know we are grateful and that your contribution is helping create hope for so many families, both now and into the future.

Together, we are making connections to find a cure.

Exciting news for the future of neuromuscular disease research in Queensland.

Yesterday, a special media event was held at Toowoomba Hospital to officially mark the launch of a groundbreaking research project utilising the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Machine and HD-sEMG Machine purchased by Nerve Connection Foundation thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors and supporters.

These vital pieces of equipment were made possible through generous donations and funds raised at the 2025 Lex’s Legacy Lunch — a powerful example of what can be achieved when a community comes together with a shared purpose. We are especially grateful to major supporters including Clive Berghofer and Toowoomba Grammar School, whose significant contributions helped bring this important project to life.

Led by neurologist Dr Ehsan Shandiz and supervised by Associate Professor Robert Henderson and Professor Pamela McCombe, this cutting-edge project aims to improve the early detection, diagnosis and monitoring of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

At Nerve Connection Foundation, we are committed to funding research that gives hope — not only for people living with MND, but for those impacted by a range of neuromuscular diseases.

To everyone who donated, attended Lex’s Legacy Lunch, supported our events, or backed this project in any way — thank you. This research would not be possible without you.

You can read more about the project in this story written for ABC News by journalist Elly Bradfield -https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-19/motor-neurone-disease-research-to-begin-in-toowoomba/106674492

There's no cure and no treatment for MND, but finally there is hope Natalie has seen her body and speech deteriorate; she has lost her independence and dignity — but she says new research into motor neurone disease has given her hope for those diagnosed in the future.

😂 LIVE COMEDY IN TENTERFIELD – ONE NIGHT ONLY

Tenterfield, this is your chance for a great night out…

Internationally acclaimed ventriloquist and comedian Darren Carr is coming to town for a special Christmas in July event at Tenterfield Golf Club on 11 July.

Expect big laughs, festive cheer and a great night with friends - all while supporting vital research into neuromuscular diseases such as Motor Neurone Disease and Muscular Dystrophy.

🎄 Christmas dinner
🎤 Live comedy show
🎁 Auctions & raffle

Plus hear from Nerve Connection Foundation Ambassador, Matt Butler, who has strong ties to Tenterfield.

👉 Gather your friends and make a night of it
👉 Tickets are limited - see link in comments.

Christmas in July Join us for Christmas in July in Tenterfield — great food, live entertainment and a meaningful cause. The perfect excuse for a winter weekend escape.