Sailor mows lawns for cancer cause

During March and April, Able Electronic Technician Marek Schirnack, who has operated Mazza’s Mowing since October 2023, donated all his mowing earnings apart from business costs to support his best mate’s partner, diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year.

“I got this devastating call from Luke, telling me his partner Poppy had been feeling a bit off. She’d gone to the doctors and an x-ray showed a cancerous tumour in her lung, three inches in diameter. At the age of 23 and as a non-smoker, this came as a huge blow to her.”

Poppy is from the United Kingdom and on a working visa. The pair were worried her treatment wouldn’t be funded.

“I knew I couldn’t sit back and do nothing, and reckoned my mowing business would become my avenue for bringing in some fundraising.”

He posted on Devonport community social media, describing himself, being in the Navy, and the situation his friends were facing. He offered his mowing services to the wider community.

“Prior to this my clientele had been predominantly other sailors. In my post, I proposed to donate all of my mowing earnings to the cause outside of the running costs of the business.”

AET Schirnack says he was flooded with messages for work and people keen to donate to the Give-a-Little page the friends had set up.

“Luke organised a charity auction and rugby game in Taranaki and a lot of people, businesses and sports teams donated items into that. We raised $14,000 for Poppy, and Mazza’s Mowing was able to contribute a good chunk of money towards it.”

He says that they later found out that Poppy’s treatment would be largely funded. “We’ve been told the tumour hasn’t spread to her liver, which gives her a much higher survival rate.”

Poppy is now in the United Kingdom receiving treatment, using the money they raised.

Since the fundraising, AET Schirnack has hired two people to keep up with demand.

He wants to keep contributing for causes.

“Should anyone in the Navy require short-term funding for anything urgent or serious endeavours, to flick me an email and discuss the details."

“I’m offering my services to any locals requiring one-off or regular mowing. I feel I charge fairly reasonable rates, and offer estimates based on size of lawn. I also offered a discounted rate for elderly and single parents, figuring I could give something back to the community that adopted me when I joined the Navy.”

Luke Fleming, Poppy’s partner, posted on social media to say he was deeply appreciative to AET Schirnack and everyone who had donated.

“Cancer is a scary time and with myself having to take a lot of leave from work to get her to and from appointments and Poppy being basically unfit for work the financial strain has been a bit of a headache.”

AET Schirnack says Navy commitments means he can only get out in late afternoons or weekends.

“I try to get round to all my regular clients on a pre-arranged basis and give them a mow they can be proud of.

There’s no doubt he has the energy. AET Schirnack featured in Navy Today December 2021 after breaking the Navy record for the Multi Sport Fitness Test, better known as the ‘beep test’, achieving the first level 17 run in Royal New Zealand Navy history. There appears to be no official world record table, but his achievement is listed on www.topendsports.com(external link) as first equal in their list of World’s Best Beep Test Scores.