About 80 students walked from Moruya High School to Congo via South Head Road to raise funds and awareness of ovarian cancer and to honour their late teacher Louise Megaloconomos.

“Ms Mega” died a year ago yesterday of ovarian cancer and her daughter Asha Tsimeris and partner Patrick Stein travelled from Canberra to join the walk and to warn women of all ages to stay alert.

“Mum was caught in the advanced stages (when) you have only less than 20 per cent chance of surviving,” Ms Tsimeris said.

“That means it has come outside the ovaries, but if it is caught in the ovaries you have a really good chance of survival.”

Ms Tsimeris said women should look for “bloating, pain around the lower back, pain around the tummy, swelling (that) continues longer than normal”.

She urged regular checkups, “not just for ovarian cancer” but also warned that pap smears did not detect the disease.

“You can go to a women’s clinic and get a physical examination and they can feel if something is wrong,” she said.

She said the experience of losing her mum at the age of 22 had changed her.

“I know mum is always next to me (but) it made me realise ... she wasn’t sick at all, so you just never know if you are going to become sick and how long your life will be.”

Crunching numbers and names afterwards at Congo camping ground, Mr Reynolds said “the kids were awesome”.

“Lani Galvin won the trip to Montague Island because she raised $247 and very close behind her was Chantelle Hyde, who raised about $230,” he said.

He thanked volunteers and donors, including Marine Rescue Narooma who put on a sausage sizzle afterwards.