A group of generous Tasmanian personalities are polishing up their caddying skills in support of cancer research at the Menzies Research Institute.

A group of generous Tasmanian personalities are polishing up their caddying skills in support of cancer research at the Menzies Research Institute.

They have volunteered their time to caddy for more than one hundred and forty keen golfers who are participating in the Institute's 12th Annual Golf Classic at the Tasmania Golf Club today (Friday 11 February).

The event will raise funds for research into non-melanoma skin cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia.

Tony Cashmore, one of Australia's leading golf course architects, is a special guest caddy. Tony has been instrumental in designing or redesigning more than 40 golf courses all over the world, including the Dunes Course on the Mornington Peninsula and the Heritage Golf and Country Club at Wong Park.

Other celebrity caddies include comedian John X, Commissioner of Police Richard McCreadie, Minister for Economic Development and the Arts Lara Giddings and VFL player Justin Plapp.

Golfers took part in a silent auction over the weeks leading up to the event, bidding fiercely for the luxury of engaging the services of a celebrity caddy for the day. Caddies have volunteered to locate lost balls, supply refreshments for the team and ensure everyone is wearing their hat and sunscreen.

It is hoped that funds raised from the Golf Classic today will exceed $17,000. The caddy auction has already raised $2,000 towards the Institute's investigations into the causes of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Associate Professor Alison Venn, Acting Director of the Menzies Research Institute, says "Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common cancer in Australia. Australia has a higher incidence of NMSC than any other country in the world. Approximately 270,000 people are treated each year.

"More than half the NMSCs diagnosed each year occur in people who have already had skin cancer in the past. While we know about some of the factors that cause skin cancer, such as sun exposure, we know very little about why only some people get multiple skin cancers."

The Institute is investigating genetic and lifestyle factors that might be linked to the risk of second and subsequent NMSCs.

Associate Professor Venn said: "We are studying people who have a first skin cancer and following them over time to see which people get second skin cancers. Researchers will investigate whether this risk is affected by skin type and skin damage, levels of Vitamin D, genetic factors and exposure to the sun.

"By improving our understanding of the risk factors for second non-melanoma skin cancers, we hope to be able to prevent them and to more accurately identify people who need to be closely monitored."

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