21 Apr 2026
Words John Miller Informer

On A Quest To Help

What started as a modest gathering in a backyard has grown into a meaningful and important Melbourne-based charity, without ever losing sight of why it began.

Twelve years ago, Team Kill Cancer (TKC) was little more than an idea among friends. Today, it helps people affected by cancer right across Australia — all while deliberately staying small enough to remain personal.

“We never wanted to become a big corporate machine,” says TKC co-founder Mark O’Shea. “If $100 comes in, $100 goes out to the people who need it. That’s the whole point.”

TKC began when long-time Quest franchisees Mark and wife Ky, and close friends Nathan and Cathy Williams were looking for a meaningful way to help cancer sufferers. Nathan’s mother was battling cancer, and the group had been fundraising through established charities, including bike rides that raised around $5,000 per person.

“Those events were great experiences,” says Mark. “But we realised a lot of what we raised went into running the events themselves. When we talked to Nath’s mum about it, she said, ‘Why don’t you do something locally, where the money goes straight to families who need it?’”

So they did. The first TKC gala dinner fundraiser was held in a backyard with around 30 people.

“It started really small with little events with friends and family,” says Mark.

Each year the events grew: 100 people, then more and more again. Today, TKC galas attract around 800 attendees, alongside golf days, family days and other community events.

From the outset, TKC made a conscious decision not to grow beyond what could be managed by volunteers.

“We saw what happened at other charities,” says Mark. “Once you start to hire staff, the whole concept shifts. Suddenly only a small percentage of the money you raise makes it through to the people you’re trying to help.”

Instead, TKC operates on a membership model. Membership costs $25, and members can nominate up to three people annually who are affected by cancer — family members, colleagues or people in their local community.

“We really rely on our members,” says Mark. “That’s how we find people who need help.”

Last year alone, TKC made more than 70 individual gifts. Assistance might be cash but can also take other forms: paying rent, covering cleaning services, arranging carers, providing fuel vouchers, buying car tyres or funding family holidays when time together matters more than money.

“Giving people suffering from cancer a chance to go away with their family can mean everything,” says Mark.

TKC also plays a role alongside programs like Sony Foundation Australia’s ‘You Can Stay,’ which provides free accommodation for families in regional Australia who need to travel to metro areas for cancer treatment.

Quest properties offer cost-price rooms, Sony Foundation Australia covers those discounted costs and, when possible and required, TKC steps in to help families with some extra support like food, transport and daily expenses while they’re away from home.

“In the past six months we’ve helped six families this way,” says Mark. “One was a three-year-old girl who was close to our hearts. She was battling through life-threatening cancer. We supported her family with financial support to assist her parents while they were living at Quest away from home and unable to work. Every case is different.”

While TKC remains Melbourne-based at heart, its reach has expanded nationally thanks to Quest for a Cause golf days.

TKC’s first tie-up with Quest for a Cause was a Melbourne golf day four years ago.

“We thought — let’s just do one golf day and see what happens,” says Mark.

The concept took off immediately and soon expanded interstate, first to Brisbane (thanks to Queensland Quest operator Ben O’Sullivan) then to Albury in New South Wales (thanks to Quest Orange operators Amy Van De Ven and Natasha Callewaert).

This year, Quest for a Cause golf days will be held in Melbourne, Woolooware, Brisbane, Albury and Adelaide.

Mark also acknowledges ResortBrokers’ support is getting the program off the ground.

“From our very first golf day, Trudy [Managing Director Trudy Crooks] was on board,” says Mark. “ResortBrokers really led the way by being a major sponsor from the get-go.”

In December, the charity will hold its first ever Adelaide golf day and hopes to roll out a Perth golf day should they find a willing Quest operator to organise the event.

“We’re looking for the right people to drive WA,” says Mark. “Someone with strong corporate connections who really believes in what we’re doing.”

Quest for a Cause operates under the Quest Apartment Hotels brand. Quest corporate office provides support, with the events themselves being run by franchisees.

“Quest head office is great and really backed these events. They allow us to use the branding and provide plenty of marketing and business support,” says Mark.

Each golf day supports two charities: TKC, as the consistent beneficiary, and a local charity chosen by the hosting franchisee. In Albury, for instance, the local charity was Boys for the Bush, well known to people in the area.

“That local angle is essential,” says Mark. “People want to know their money is helping their own community.”

Mark and Ky’s ability to focus on their charity work has been shaped by their own Quest journey — one spanning two decades and multiple properties.

The couple’s first hotel franchise was Quest Knox some 20 years ago. In 2012, they sold their interest in Quest Knox to acquire Quest Bundoora where they were hands-on operators until they sold it in 2024 (via ResortBrokers’ Jacqueline Featherby).

Stepping back from day-to-day operations has allowed Mark and Ky to dedicate more time to TKC and Quest for a Cause.

“We now spend about half our week on charity work,” says Mark. “We simply couldn’t do that if we were still running a property day-to-day.”

Despite national support, million-dollar milestones and packed ballrooms, TKC remains exactly what it started as: people helping people.

“We’re not chasing scale for the sake of it,” says Mark. “We want to stay true to why we exist.” END

Teeing-Off for a Great Cause

ResortBrokers has proudly supported the beloved Quest for a Cause golf days since the beginning.

These annual golf days are always a highlight on the calendar — combining great fun with meaningful fundraising for truly worthy causes. The most recent event was held on 20 February at Woolooware Golf Club near Cronulla, raising funds for TKC, as well as local charities Sharks Have Heart — the philanthropic arm of NRL club Cronulla Sharks — and the Jacaranda Foundation, which supports the local hospital.

Props to our friends at Quest corporate office and the many Quest operators whose dedication and hard work make these events such a success. See you at the next one!