Bigger than ever: Ocean Grove turns pink for BCNA

JUST five people have pulled together Ocean Grove Football Netball Club’s Pink Day, but the small committee is still aiming high with a $20,000 fundraising target.

For months, the group has been planning the annual event in support of Breast Cancer Network Australia, hoping to make a meaningful difference for families impacted by breast cancer.

For committee member Tarryn Stanley, joining the Pink Day team five years ago was an easy decision. Breast cancer had already touched many parts of her life through friends and family.

She said breast cancer has become a devastating constant at the club and broader Ocean Grove community.

It reared its head inside the walls of the club in mid-2025.

“One in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and this year is a particularly big year for us,” Stanley said.

“Our netball president, Gill Hodgson, got diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks after Pink Day 2025, and she had been the driving force behind the Pink Day committee.”

It brought the cause even closer to home for the Grubbers community, with players, families and supporters rallying behind Hodgson and others affected by the disease.

Stanley said the overwhelming response to this year’s event reflected Hodgson’s impact on the club, with tickets selling out within a week.

Returning to the club on 16 May, Hodgson will speak at the event alongside MC and fellow breast cancer survivor Roxie Bennett.

The sell-out response has also forced organisers to think creatively about how more people can still contribute.

“It’s a fantastic problem to have,” Stanley said.

Players from juniors through to seniors will wear pink additions to their football and netball uniforms across the day, while an online auction, bake sale and donation drive.

Stanley said the depth of contribution from players and club members shows just how many people breast cancer impacts.

“Breast cancer impacts everyone,” she said.

“Women are diagnosed, men are diagnosed, and a lot of the senior men want to get involved because they’ve been touched personally by breast cancer, through family or friends.

“It is really amazing how behind it the whole club gets.”

With this year’s event shaping as the club’s biggest yet, Stanley said there was little doubt Pink Day would remain a fixture at Ocean Grove for years to come.