The latest news on Dave Marchant’s brain cancer diagnosis, and how you can help
Dave Marchant was in the middle of a workout last August when he tried to perform an exercise that involved scrunching the toes of his left foot.
As much as he tried, he couldn’t get his toes to move. He knew something was wrong.
Three months later, in November, the 38-year-old deputy principal of Googong Public School was told there was a tumour on the right frontal lobe of his brain, affecting movement of his left side, mostly his legs and feet.
In early December, Dave underwent surgery to have the tumour removed. But just before Christmas, he received the crushing news that the tumour was a Grade 2 Astrocytoma, a slow-growing form of brain cancer.
“The reality of brain cancer is that it’s incurable,” Dave says.
“It was hard news.”
Originally from Sydney, Dave and wife Fiona moved to Jerrabomberra in 2017 to be closer to Fiona’s family. (Fiona was pregnant with their first child at the time.) Dave scored a job at Queanbeyan East Public School and in 2022 moved to a position as assistant principal at the brand new Googong Public School. He was appointed deputy principal at Googong in early 2023.
He’s taught hundreds of local kids and when news of his diagnosis hit Facebook in early 2025, the outpouring of support was “overwhelming”.
“A lot of people started reaching out with messages of support,” he says.
“A lot of kids I’ve taught in the past were reaching out through their parents to say thank you. The support has been amazing.”
Rather than raise money for his own family, Dave has been fundraising for the Mark Hughes Foundation (MHF) – a non-profit, health promotion charity that started in 2014 when former NRL player Mark was diagnosed with brain cancer. MHF raises much needed funds for research, creates awareness and supports brain cancer patients.
When Dave started radiation four weeks ago, he committed to running 5km every day of his treatment: to raise funds, but also because running has been a physical and mental health staple his entire life.
“I kind of attribute my perception and my positive attitude around what’s happening to me now to the fact that I’ve put myself through some of the most challenging races and marathons in the past,” he says.
“Running has helped me build that resilience in myself, both physically and also mentally. It’s really helped me on this journey too.”
This Saturday, 22 March, Dave will run the ‘bridge to bridge’ loop of Lake Burley Griffin, and would love for current and former students and their families to join him. The run will start and conclude at The Jetty on Queen Elizabeth Terrace, and people will be able to buy Mark Hughes Foundation merchandise. A raffle will also be held.
“Even if you don’t want to run, come and say hello, we’d love to see you,” Dave says.
After radiation, it’s likely Dave will commence chemotherapy in early May. But he’s keen to return to Googong Public as soon as he can, after “seeing how my body goes”.
“We’ll see what happens over the coming months but I definitely miss my colleagues and students. Teaching’s my passion and I’d love to return to it.”
To run, walk, scoot or ride 5km with Dave Marchant at Lake Burley Griffin this Saturday 22 March 2025, head to The Jetty on Queen Elizabeth Terrace from 8am. Dave will start running at 9am. Merchandise is on sale and a raffle will be held after the run. No need to register for this event.
To donate to Dave’s fundraiser for the Mark Hughes Foundation, head to: https://bigthreetrek5.gofundraise.com.au/page/DaveGwyther-Marchant
About the Author: Briony Winchester
Part bogan, part wannabe plus-size model and part journalist, Bree's the woman behind Q! News. She's a pop culture obsessive who's deeply in love with her hometown, Queanbeyan, and the neighbouring capital. A born storyteller, she's been writing locally, nationally and internationally for more than 25 years.
