By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Matt Duchene Charity Golf Classic has surpassed $1 million in total funds raised for the Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation (HHHSF) since it began 28 years ago, driven by a major spike in donations over the last three summers.
The 2026 tournament is scheduled for July 17 at the Blairhampton Golf Club. The tournament brought in $211,000 two years ago and $234,000 last year. In total, a restructured tournament volunteer committee has raised more than $665,000 over the past three events.
“Our event is the largest single-day money maker [for the foundation],” co-organizer Vince Duchene explained to The Highlander. “As soon as you advertise the amount of money that we make, it makes people want to give you money.”
The tournament has evolved considerably over its 28-year history. It began as a Rotary club event that made $25,000 in its first year, before transitioning to a hockey-themed fundraiser under former NHL referee-in-chief Scotty Morrison. HHHSF later took over the reins, and hometown NHLer Matt Duchene attached his name to the event about eight years ago, his father recalled.
When the tournament’s fundraising efforts dipped during the pandemic, Duchene and Troy Austen took over the tournament’s organization alongside co-ordinator Susannah Moylan.
Proceeds go to the HHHSF to purchase medical equipment not covered by provincial funding, including a CT scanner, CPR assistant devices, and long-term care upgrades.
For Austen, raising the funds became very personal following the closure of the Minden hospital. Born at the Minden facility, where his mother worked as a nurse for 25 years, and where she and his late grandmother received long-term care, Austen said he sees the tournament as a vehicle for community awareness.
“To try and patch what could possibly be patched in the community from that one hospital being closed, it’s been nice to see the community awareness come back together,” he said.
Austen noted that having advanced diagnostic equipment locally keeps aging residents and seasonal cottagers from having to drive to Peterborough for scans.
A large portion of the tournament’s revenue comes from its live auction, which showcases Matt’s NHL connections. This year’s lineup features signed sports memorabilia from Frameworth, including jerseys and prints, along with a prominent Dallas travel package donated by Matt. The trip, which includes flights, hotels, and tickets to see the Dallas Stars, Mavericks, and Cowboys, has previously drawn winning bids as high as $30,000.
The event currently has a waiting list for players, but organizers said they limit the field to keep the pace of play under fiveand-a-half hours. Local volunteers handle the logistics, including Chad Burden of the West Guilford Shopping Centre, who provides the barbecues and cooks the meat, and a crew of 50 residents sourced through the local curling club.
For Duchene, the best part of the week is having his son return to the community that supported him before his NHL career. Matt was recently named an NHL Bill Masterton Trophy finalist and nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his perseverance and community dedication.
“If you asked him, the first thing he would say is that this community raised him,” his father said, noting that four generations of his family now play the course together. “He meshes in… he’s there as a human being. That makes me more proud than some of these guys who won’t return home and do this kind of stuff.”
