Amy Shark to Headline Adelaide Oval Fundraiser for Young Cancer Patients

South Australia is still without a dedicated cancer centre for young people. Today, Amy Shark will help push the campaign to change that forward, taking to the stage at Adelaide Oval for Sony Foundation‘s third annual Adelaide4Ward fundraiser.

The multi-ARIA Award winner, whose fourth studio album soft pop topped the ARIA Charts earlier this year, will headline the event alongside rising singer-songwriter Fletcher Kent, who supported Lewis Capaldi on his Australian tour in 2025.

It’s a different kind of gig for Shark, with the focus firmly on the young Australians whose lives have been turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis.

“Music has such a powerful way of bringing people together and reminding us that we’re not alone, which is especially important for young people going through cancer,” Shark said. “The funds raised will help Sony Foundation build South Australia’s first dedicated Youth Cancer Centre and I’m proud to be part of helping bring that to life.”

The planned facility at the Royal Adelaide Hospital would become the sixth in Sony Foundation’s national network, giving young cancer patients something that’s often missing from their treatment experience: a space designed specifically for them.

Beyond specialised medical care, the centre would offer mental health support, opportunities to connect with people their own age, and dedicated spaces for music, gaming and entertainment.

For 25-year-old Liana Galic, that distinction matters.

Diagnosed with a rare Stage 4 head and neck cancer at just 22, Galic underwent intensive treatment in clinical environments largely designed for older adults. Now in remission, she’s helping shape the very facility she wishes had existed during her own treatment.

As chair of the South Australian Youth Advisory Group, Galic is among several young cancer survivors and advocates contributing to the centre’s design, making sure the people who will actually use it have a say in what it becomes.

It’s a significant issue across Australia, where around 1,200 young people are diagnosed with cancer each year. For many, the disruption goes well beyond hospital appointments, affecting education, careers, relationships and mental health.

Those challenges can be even greater outside metropolitan areas. One in three young Australians with cancer lives in a regional community, where accessing specialised treatment can mean leaving behind family, friends and familiar surroundings.

Adelaide4Ward has already raised $940,000 across its first two events in 2024 and 2025, including $100,000 from the South Australian Government.

Sony Foundation CEO Sophie Ryan-McPhee says the aim is to create somewhere young people can feel understood while navigating an experience few of their peers will ever face.

“The Youth Cancer Centre in the Royal Adelaide Hospital will provide a dedicated youth space in the hospital where young people can access specialised support, connect with peers who understand what they’re going through and feel less alone during treatment,” she said.

Thursday’s event will also bring together figures from South Australia’s business, media and government sectors, including Premier Peter Malinauskas.