Then COVID -19 happened – and like everything else at the moment, that game has to be put on hold. We do still plan on having this charity game when the restrictions have been lifted and this year we will have a renewed motivation and focus, as we commit ourselves to raising as much money as possible for one of our own who has sadly been diagnosed with cancer – Andrew ‘Parky’ Parkinson.

Eight months after our first Wudzy game in January 2019, we received the devastating news that Andrew had been diagnosed with a rare form of bladder cancer. Parky – with his cheeky, charismatic nature and impressive basketball skills – is a much-loved figure in Australian basketball and it was a great shock to all of us when we learned of this terrible news.

For those of you who might not know, Andrew Parkinson played professional basketball in the NBL during the 1980s and ’90s. A talented shooter Parky played his junior basketball and SEABL for Knox Raiders, before heading to Pennsylvania in 1988-89 to play college ball for the NCAA Division 2 school – Slippery Rock University. While in college he was recruited by NBL team Geelong Supercats and returned to Victoria where he played 2 years until he moved on to the South Melbourne Saints in 1991, where he was named NBL Most Improved Player. During that breakout season where he scored his NBL high 50 points on his old team – 9 months after they let him go – he was named as an NBL All Star & was also included in the Australian Olympic Squad. In 1992, when the Saints merged with the Eastside Melbourne Spectres to form the South East Melbourne Magic, Parky was hand-picked by coach Brian Goorjian to be part of his new team. Parky went on to be the NBL’s Free Throw Percentage Leader in ’94 and was an important part of the Magic’s two Championships in 1992 & 1996. Retiring from the NBL in 1998, Parky became a media personality commentating on NBL games with Fox Sports, WIN, ABC & NZ Sky TV, as well as hosting a nationally televised Basketball Show ‘NBL ZONE’. He also hosted an early incarnation of ‘World Sport Overnight’ on SEN 1116 radio in early 2004 and worked as court announcer with South Dragons NBL basketball team during their short reign. He also coached at NBL1 & Big V levels at Sandringham & Maccabi and was Head Coach at Carey Grammar for 10 years. Now 52 and running his own business, Parky has kept fit still playing a few games of basketball a week with many of his old team mates – as well as being a regular on the Masters Circuit, where he and his team ‘The HasBeens’ have dominated since 2015 with an impressive record of 57-2, winning many Gold Medals along the way, including World, Australian, Pan Pacific & Asian Masters. Then suddenly in September last year, Parky received his diagnosis and life as he knew it swiftly changed.

Parky is a text book case of why the Wudzy App and charity AFL Basketball Game were created. When he was diagnosed with cancer Parky had to stop work to undergo a gruelling treatment regimen and as a result his business and income suffered. He has a wife Diana and 2 young daughters – Angel 18 and Phoebe 16 – who rely on him and during this time when he lost his ability to earn an income, the costly medical expenses started rolling in and the normal every day bills continued to pile up. To make matters worse with this COVID -19 situation, Parky’s business has effectively ground to a halt, but unfortunately the medical expenses and everyday household bills continue to come in. At a time that is already so physically, emotionally and mentally draining, this financial burden is another stress that Parky – and many others like him – just do not need. The team at Wudzy Inc aims to help ease that burden and raise money to help pay for Parky’s medical and household/living expenses, so he can focus on beating this disease.

​​A close friend of Parky’s advised him that this would be a hard road, but he would get through it with the love and support of his wonderful family and many friends. He said ‘those that stand with you and support you would be like an army and you should graciously accept and embrace that support – as you will need it’. This resonated with Parky and thus the idea of the ‘Parky Army’ was born. The team at Wudzy Inc are proud to be part of the Parky Army and ask that you show Parky your support and join with us to be part of the Parky Army too. You can do that by sending him a message via his social media accounts and using the #parkyarmy

Let’s see if we can make it go viral and trend – #parkyarmy. Share it with your friends and followers and ask that they share it far and wide too.

You can follow Parky on Facebook at Andrew Parkinson (parkyarmy14), Instagram and Twitter – @parkyarmy14

Be sure to also follow Wudzy Inc on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – @wudzyinc – as we will be sending out regular updates on Parky’s progress and keeping you up to date on all our Parky fundraising events and related information.

Wudzy Online Auction – Raising money for Parky in a COVID-19 world

With the current COVID -19 situation impacting all of our everyday lives, and the 2020 Wudzy AFL Basketball Game in a holding pattern, we needed another way to raise money for Parky and his family, so we came up with the idea for an online auction – something people can be involved in from the privacy of their own homes. You can bid on these items while in isolation and still adhering to the stay at home rules.

We appreciate that this is a difficult time and cash flow may be very tight at the moment for many people, and as such not everyone will have the ability to participate in our auction. However, there are still those fortunate enough to have an income, that may be able to place a few bids and help raise funds for Parky and his family. To those that can help, we say a huge thank you and to those who find themselves experiencing hardship, we offer our sincere and best wishes at this crazy time and hope this will soon be over.

​For now, we are busy gathering donated items and planning for our auction. We will keep you updated of the details via our website and social media accounts, so please be sure to follow us so you don’t miss out on the opportunity to bid for these exciting and in some cases rare & ‘money can’t usually buy’ experiences.

We will also keep you updated on any new information about this year’s Wudzy AFL Basketball Game. We can assure you that this year will be bigger and better as the Parky Army swings into action.

Thank you again for all of your support and we look forward to being able to raise a lot of money for Parky and his family, firstly through the online auction and eventually through the next Wudzy AFL Basketball Game. #parkyarmy

Stay safe and well and look after each other.