Property Leaders Make Waves for Brain Research

Professional big wave surfer Felicity Palmateer has shared her personal story of losing her mother to frontotemporal dementia as she joined 72 surfers for the 10-year anniversary of Wipeout Dementia, raising over $350,000 for dementia research at UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA).

Palmateer, who lost her mother, Pauline, at just 52, said she was determined to raise awareness about younger-onset and hereditary dementias and to inspire greater investment in research.

“The energy on the day was unreal,” Palmateer said.

“There was such a sense of community and purpose in the water—everyone was surfing for someone they love and that gave the whole event incredible heart. To see so many people come together for dementia research was really special.”

“Watching Mum deteriorate was like losing her in slow motion,” she said.

“She was diagnosed at 46 and over the next six years I saw her health decline until she passed away in 2021. Losing her so young has given me an incredible sense of urgency—to live life fully, to cherish the people I love and to do whatever I can to help change the future for families like mine.”

Since the first Wipeout Dementia in 2015, the number of people living with dementia worldwide has risen from 44 million to 57 million, a figure projected to grow sharply without a medical breakthrough.

With dementia now the leading cause of death in Australia and one in four Australians expected to be aged over 65 by mid-century, researchers say investment in prevention is more critical than ever.

▲ “Everyone was surfing for someone they love,” said Felicity Palmateer, who took to the waves at Wipeout Dementia 2025 to honour her late mother and raise awareness of younger-onset dementia.

Ten years of waves for a cause

Founded in 2015, Wipeout Dementia began as a small community initiative and has grown into one of Sydney’s most distinctive corporate social impact campaigns, uniting the property and finance industries with professional athletes and researchers.

This year’s milestone event, held in partnership with URBNSURF Sydney, brought together 72 corporate surfers led by Captains Anthony Scotts, Peter Clemesha, Philip Vivian, Craig Rodgers, Steve Watson, Mike Gordon, Darren Beasley, Clare Coleman and Reece Tabor and a powerhouse Ambassador lineup of professional surfers including Owen Wright, Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, Mark “Occy” Occhilupo and Palmateer.

The event was proudly supported by major sponsor Morgans, with additional backing from Versatile Group, Winten Property Group, Avenor, Australian Workstation Manufacturers (AWM), Essence Project Management, SHAPE Australia, Sense Projects, Liberty Specialty Markets, Wentworth and Haigs Builder Brokers.

A major highlight of the day was the ‘Gnarly Award’—a custom Mark Richards replica twin fin presented to Michael Gordon, Head of Fit-Out and Refurbishment at Versatile, who once again topped the fundraising leaderboard for the fourth consecutive year.

His team, Gordo’s Grovelers, also claimed the highest team fundraising title, cementing their place as Wipeout Dementia legends.

Other top fundraisers taking home prizes included Stewart Nettleton, Scott Leney, Peter Clemesha and Steve Watson, each receiving a JS Industries Occy Raging Bull. Philip Vivian was awarded a vintage competition DHD in recognition of his exceptional fundraising and long-term commitment to the cause.

In the surf, it was another nail-biter. With only a slim margin separating the teams, Clemo’s Diehards, captained by Peter Clemesha, once again took out the Surf Off Champions title—their fourth straight win.

The Captains’ MVP votes went to James Sawyer, James Paver, Andrew Wilson, Matt Moulsdale, Scott Leney, Stuart Nettleton, Lochie Nesbitt, Ben Gross and Laura Burnett.

Campaign Champion Awards were presented to Andrew Wilson, Reece Moffatt and Philip Vivian, while Wave of the Day went to Shane Campbell and Wipeout of the Day to Anthony Scotts—proving once again that commitment counts for as much as style. 

CHeBA co-director Professor Henry Brodaty, AO, said, “Each year we see the human side of dementia through the stories of our surfers.

“Their passion fuels our research and reminds us why advancing prevention and treatment is so urgent. Dementia isn’t just a health issue—it’s a social and economic challenge that will touch every Australian family.”

▲ Surfers paddle out at URBNSURF Sydney during the 10-year anniversary of Wipeout Dementia, a community event uniting corporate teams, professional surfers and researchers to raise over $350,000 for dementia research at UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing.

Surfing towards a healthier brain

Funds raised through Wipeout Dementia support CHeBA’s world-leading research into brain ageing and dementia prevention, including long-term studies examining how lifestyle and vascular risk factors influence cognitive health across the lifespan. 

This year, funds will specifically contribute to the expansion of CHeBA’s prevention research aimed at reducing lifestyle and vascular risk factors for dementia, with the goal of pushing back the onset of the disease.

This work builds on the success of CHeBA’s Maintain Your Brain trial—the world’s largest online lifestyle intervention study, funded by the NHMRC and published earlier this year.

Findings from this groundbreaking research indicate that modifying lifestyle risk factors can delay the onset of dementia by more than one year, which could lead to a 15 per cent reduction in total dementia-related costs by mid-century, saving several billion dollars in treatment and care costs.

Funds raised will also accelerate CHeBA’s research into vascular dementia, often referred to as the preventable dementia. Vascular problems in the brain are responsible for 50–70 per cent of dementia cases, making Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) the second leading cause of dementia. 

CHeBA is focusing on five key areas: improving how VCID is diagnosed, collecting global data on its risk factors, finding biomarkers for early detection, understanding the genetic influences and developing strategies to prevent and treat VCID. Through partnerships across countries and leading research centres, CHeBA is driving a truly global effort to prevent dementia before it begins.

CHeBA co-director Perminder Sachdev AM said, “Events like Wipeout Dementia show what happens when corporate and community leaders unite around purpose.

“This funding directly supports research that improves diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dementia—one of the defining health challenges of our time.”

▲ Smiles, surfboards and shared purpose—the Wipeout Dementia community marks a decade of riding waves for research, proving that when community rallies around cause, real change is possible.

A decade of impact

Since its inception, Wipeout Dementia has raised nearly $3 million for CHeBA’s research.

For campaign creator Heidi Douglass, the milestone is a powerful reminder of what community can achieve.

“Ten years on, this campaign stands as a movement—where sport, science and storytelling collide to drive social change,” Douglass said. 

“Stories like Felicity’s remind everyone what is at stake. Every surfer, sponsor and supporter is helping to accelerate the science that will change the future of dementia in Australia.”

As Australia faces an ageing population and a growing dementia crisis, Wipeout Dementia stands as a symbol of hope—showing that through community, connection and research, real change is possible.

Donate at: https://wipeout-dementia-2025.raiselysite.com/

The Urban Developer is proud to partner with the UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) to deliver this article to you. In doing so, we can continue to publish our daily news, information, insights and opinion to you, our valued readers.