However, the division of responsibilities between the trio saw Chris with responsibility for what I’ll loosely call the mechanical aspects of the operation, that is the printing press, the building, vehicles, and advertising sales.
Ross appeared be, and is, rooted in the editorial aspects of The News, and the broader McPherson Media Group, and so had a huge impact on the undergirding philosophies of the newspaper.
Paul, the third brother, has little to do with the day-to-day running of the newspaper, as he was based in Melbourne and was focused on the then burgeoning commercial printing aspect of the newspaper.
It would be unfair to attribute the success of The News to any one of the trio, but it is Chris, at this point, who has the most remarkable legacy, a legacy that will reach a new pinnacle on Friday.
Chris was diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer about 16 years ago, when the disease was surrounded by a deadly silence and so “necessity being the mother of invention” (apologies for the adage), he decided to make his health problems, public.
And so the “Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch” was born.
A News story of 2024 said:
“His goal was to persuade other blokes like him to take responsibility for their health and get tested.
“Six years later, Mr McPherson died from prostate cancer in 2015, but as he’d hoped, many hundreds of men have now benefited from early detection due to these events.
“The lunches are now held in 14 locations around Australia and have raised more than $3.5 million for prostate cancer research and regional prostate cancer nurses
“It is now the largest community-based fundraiser for prostate cancer research in Australia.”
Interestingly, I was allowed a tiny glimpse at the massive amount of the behind-the-scenes work that goes on for these hugely popular lunches when I was the guest speaker at recent regular weekly meeting of the Shepparton Central Rotary Club.
The lunch is at the Macintosh Centre this Friday at the Shepparton Showgrounds when more than 1000 people, mainly blokes, will gather to socialise, hear some jokes, be told of the valuable work happening in Shepparton, and in other parts of Australia courtesy of both money raised and the lifting of the profile of prostate cancer.
Shepparton Central Rotary is just one of many from throughout the Goulburn Valley who pitch into make this lunch happen.
It was fascinating to watch retired lawyer, Peter Johnson, marshal his fellow Rotarians through spreadsheets, lists of jobs to be done, times and places to be, and an impromptu meeting.
Sadly, Chris is no longer with us, but his legacy not only lives on, but appears to be getting stronger illustrating, clearly, that good people will lock arms and together stare down something as abstract and unspoken as prostate cancer.
The disease was talked in hushed tones until the lively mind of the late Chris McPherson dreamed up and made real the “Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch”, making prostate cancer as common in conversation as the weather
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