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- Its A Pink Party In Miles
It's a pink party for Miles
If you drive through the regional Queensland town of Miles in October, expect to be greeted by a row of bras hanging from the main street.
The annual hanging of the bras is part of the opening festivities for Pink Up Your Town. Together with a street party, it’s a fun start to the month-long celebrations which has raised over $29,000 since 2019.
“Everything is pink. The community is really good at getting onboard with it.”
- Toni
Toni Brown is part of the committee that organises the fundraising month. This year, the town hosted a cricket day, pink netball night, pink golf day, a park run and sausage sizzle, and a love-me-again Tupperware sale.
“We do something each weekend to cover everybody,” says Toni. “Our local arts council is putting on a play, and the following week we have our big fundraiser, which is a high tea. This year it’s a wedding theme, and we’re displaying people’s wedding dresses, and some will be modelled for the afternoon.”
Alongside fundraising for the McGrath Foundation, Pink Up Your Town in Miles also raises awareness of the care and support given by local McGrath Cancer Care Nurses.
“Another woman, Rachel, was the instigator of Pink Up Your Town and she started it for awareness. We didn’t have Pink Stumps Day out here back then, and she decided to support the McGrath Foundation so we could help support families experiencing cancer,” Toni says.
“It was when she got involved that she realised the McGrath Foundation funded rural McGrath nurses. We didn’t know that was a thing, but now the town knows about it.”
“We do have a lot of fun”
- Toni
Now in its 5th year, Toni says organising the event is hugely rewarding.
“We’re exhausted by the time it’s over, but by the next year we’re excited and ready to pink up again.
“People are just happy to help and get involved. The money just comes in… I don’t know how that’s happened. It’s just gained momentum.”
Toni encourages anyone who is organising an event to just do it
“Start small. Pick one or two things, do it well and get the momentum,” she says. “Ask your local sporting club to do a pink day. And just have a crack at it. You’ll be blown away by the impact you’ll make.”
Feeling inspired to hold your own event? Register here.
For the past seven years, the NSW town of Griffith has turned pink to raise money for the McGrath Foundation.
The Queensland town of Cooray has been pinking up to raise money for the McGrath Foundation for the past two years, with their annual breakfast the hottest ticket in town.
Foy, 35, was 26 weeks pregnant when she felt pain in her left breast. As the pain continued to increase, she saw her doctor six weeks later where she was referred to an ultrasound.