Afternoon Tea in Support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Pinktober

Chair of the Volunteer Committee of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Ms Judi Adams; distinguished guests.

Kaye and I warmly welcome you all to Government House this afternoon tea, as we come together to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Pinktober. 

I at once acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands around Brisbane, and extend respectful greetings to Elders and emerging leaders. 

As our bridges and buildings don their October pinks, and Queenslanders state-wide host pink-themed morning teas, we join in a common cause – to look to a foreseeable future when we see zero deaths from breast cancer.

The colour pink is not merely a representation of femininity –  although this disease does have a significant gender bias.  

It is also associated with qualities that encapsulate the essence of this fight: unconditional love, thoughtfulness, tenderness, vibrancy, creativity, and above all, hope.

I know each of you here today has demonstrated all of these qualities and more, as you support the National Breast Cancer Foundation in its quest to find a cure.

Indeed, this year’s much cherished Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic showcased creativity at its best, with its Virtual 2020 event seeing participants continuing the tradition in unique and fun ways – when uniting en masse was not possible.

The motivation to raise research funds for this cause is clearly a powerful one, but so too is the need to connect with others with a sense of camaraderie and shared passion.

And the success of this formula is highlighted by the impressive $37 million raised by the Mother’s Day Classic over the past 23 years.

While the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused significant disruptions to our lives, it has also highlighted the importance of diverse research approaches.

This is what the Foundation has been doing now for nearly three decades – with its support for hundreds of publicly funded research projects across the country.

Every single one of these projects makes an important contribution to our understanding of this disease, but most importantly each one has the potential to unlock the final pieces of the puzzle.

I congratulate the outstanding work done by the Foundation to further ground-breaking research. The significant shift in survival rates is cause for tremendous optimism. 

Yet, while we have come so far, there are still 8 Australian women dying from breast cancer every day – which means 3,000 every year.

Pinktober encourages us to help in any way we can. 

While we see pink continuing to proliferate across our State, we know the battle to cure breast cancer continues. And in what is becoming somewhat of a tradition here at Government House, our Chefs have once again prepared pink cupcakes for today’s event.

On behalf of all Queenslanders, especially those whose lives have been touched by this disease, Kaye and I whole-heartedly thank each of you for your dedicated commitment to helping the Foundation. Your efforts prove what is possible when people care for each other.