Emma Pritchard
He’s done it.
But for Steve Cansdell, it was never about the personal accolades.
On October 14, close to 100 people gathered at Roches Hotel in Grafton to cheer, encourage, and support the former politician and Australian Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion as he set a new world record for the most solid punches landed in one hour on a punching bag by a male over 65 years of age.
Monitored by Australian boxing officials and with contact sensors on his wrists to track his progress, Mr Candell threw a staggering 15890 punches, breaking the previous world record by an incredible 801 punches.
Every time he made contact with the punching bag, and he felt his muscles begin to protest, he thought of 17-year-old Tamsyn McConnell and her family.
And he kept going.
“This was never about me, this was always for Tamsyn and the McConnell family,” Mr Cansdell said.
“This event was always about raising awareness and raising funds to help her and her family.
“Tamsyn has shown more heart and more courage than I could ever throw at the punching bag.”
After sustaining serious injuries in a single vehicle accident in September 2022, the teenager from Glenreagh is continuing to defy the odds as she progresses in her recovery at the Royal Rehab Private Hospital in Ryde, Sydney, where she is expected to remain for another 18 months.
Inspired by her plight, and determined to do what he could to help the McConnell family, Mr Cansdell said he was easily motivated to pick up his boxing gloves once again.
Striking the punching bag at an average of four hits per second, Mr Cansdell maintained a consistent pace as he set a new world record on the weekend.
Members of the audience were also invited to make a donation to the McConnell family, pull on a pair of boxing gloves, and join him on stage throughout the event as the crowd continuously applauded his efforts.
As he thanked attendees for their support and for dipping their hands into their pockets, Mr Candell was presented with a certificate by Trevor Martyn, Secretary of the NSW Veteran Boxing Association in recognition of his new world record.
Tamsyn’s father Scott McConnell was overcome with emotion as he extended his sincere appreciation to everyone who has supported his family through their kindness and generosity.
$6840 was raised from the event on Saturday.
Mr Cansdell is continuing to encourage people to give generously in support of Tamsyn and her family and visit the GoFundMe page, which will remain open for another 12 months, at https://www.gofundme.com/f/tamsyn-mcconnell-family