Cancer Australia

The first culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) campaign – ‘Bridging the divide’ – was undertaken in 2005 to address gaps in breast awareness and information for women from multicultural backgrounds.

The 2009 Pink Ribbon Events have once again been an enormous success, thanks to our Principal Supporter Macquarie Group Foundation, our generous event sponsors, our speakers and performers and of course our wonderful audience.

In Sydney on Monday 26 October, the Westin Ballroom was packed with over 700 of our supporters and high-profile guests on Australia’s Pink Ribbon Day. Guest speakers Ms Thérèse Rein, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Julie White, Dr Jane Turner and Colleen and Dean Thompson informed, entertained and inspired guests and singer/musician Damien Leith held the audience spellbound with two beautiful songs from his recent albums.

The program included the official launch of NBOCC's* report Breast cancer in Australia: an overview 2009 by the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for Housing, Minister for the Status of Women.  NBOCC’s* website was also officially launched by Julie White, Head of Macquarie Group Foundation.

Melbourne's first Pink Ribbon Lunch on Tuesday 13 October saw a great turnout, with speeches from Ms Thérèse  Rein, William McInnes and Dr Jane Turner on the theme of Supporting the woman you love through breast cancer. Ms Rein launched NBOCC's* CD resource, When the woman you love has early breast cancer, to an audience of over 300 supporters from the Melbourne and Victorian communities.

Both events benefited from significant media coverage.

Find out more:

• 2009 Pink Ribbon Events site

A commitment to ‘closing the gap’ in breast cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women will help to reduce lives lost to the disease. Ensuring breast cancer is detected as early as possible in Indigenous women is key to achieving this objective.