Fishing for a Cause
with the Stonka Fishing Challenge
Once a year at Cape Gloucester, fishing enthusiasts converge for a contest that gives back: The Stonka Fishing Challenge.
Across four days, anglers, families and supporters come together for a prize-filled weekend of fishing and festivities.
This year, the fourth Stonka Challenge saw the event reached a new high.
With 1,300 registrations, around 700 more than its first year, the weekend brought packed beaches, thousands of dollars raised for charity and an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people through across the four days.
For founders Steven and Stacey Cresswell, the weekend was another sign of just how far the event has come, and how much higher it continues to set the bar.
“Bigger and better is sort of our motto,” Steven said.
“We want to make sure each year is one to remember and one to book.”
But beyond the record crowds and fundraising totals, Steven said some of the weekend’s best moments came from watching children get involved.
“The kids brought in some stonkers and they got really involved in all the games and stuff like that,” Steven said.
“That was the best moment from the weekend.”
The event was born out of a difficult time, when the family facing the kind of news that changes everything.
Stacey had been sick for a while when in 2019 she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, after doctors found a football-sized tumour in her chest.
At the time, the couple had a newborn baby, a three-year-old child, a mortgage and their Moranbah business to keep afloat, while Stacey was transferred to hospital in Townsville for treatment.
“It was pretty bleak at the time,” Steven said.
“The doctors told us things weren’t looking too promising.”
Despite the odds, Steven was given a glimmer of hope when Leukemia House approached with an offer of an apartment across from the hospital.
While hesitant to accept the offer at first, the foundation's persistence paid off, giving the family a chance to stay close to Stacey in a time where she needed them most.
“Having that support was massive to getting us through this rough time,” Steven said.
“I honestly don't know how we would have managed without it."
Stacey eventually came out the other side, leaving the family with a deep sense of relief.
“We’re one of the lucky ones, we’ve heard a lot of stories about people that weren’t as fortunate as us,” Steven said.
Even with their own ordeal behind them, the desire to help Leukaemia House and other families facing cancer has never gone away.
That was where the Stonka Fishing Challenge was born: as a chance to return the favour.
And boy have they.
Over the years, funds raised through the event have helped provide air fryers, washing machines, lighting upgrades and a new security system for Townsville’s Leukemia House.
The committee has also donated patient care hampers filled with comfort items and supported the annual Christmas party for the families in the midst of treatment.
They’ve also organised some special days, like time on the water and a two-night stay at Cape Gloucester Resort for a young boy fighting the disease.
For Steven and Stacey, that gratitude extends to the anglers, sponsors, crew, Leukaemia House and the wider community who have helped them through, not only survived one of the hardest chapters in their lives but have continued to support them as they turn that experience into something that gives back.
“We're just so grateful to our sponsors, our crew and the community that gets behind us,” Steven said.
