Community turns out to support Classic

GEELONG’S Eastern Park was a sea of pink on Mother’s Day with more than a thousand residents spreading the word about breast cancer research and awareness.

Geelong event organising committee member Nikki McKenzie said more than 1,700 people attended Sunday morning’s local Mother’s Day Classic.

“We had an amazing turnout, it was 1,778 people that were registered before the event began, but I also expect there may have been an additional 200 people that registered on the day,” Ms McKenzie said.

“To be honest, I was stunned by the amount of people there on the day, the overall tone of the day was really upbeat mainly because of what this event stands for.

“Breast cancer is something that affects almost everyone in one way or another, so raising funds for breast cancer research and continuing awareness is vital.”

Ms McKenzie had not attended a Mother’s Day Classic prior to Sunday but was asked to join the committee after facilitating the Welcome to Country portion of the day.

“My grandmother who I never met, battled breast cancer twice before it took her, so the notion of breast cancer awareness really came into focus for me personally in 2022 and 2023, I had also done some artwork for the McGrath Foundation previously as well,” Ms McKenzie added.

“It was lovely to see all the children there with their families, getting their faces painted, wearing tutus, wings and dressed in pink.

“It’s terrific to see that the community is learning more about breast cancer awareness at a young age.”

Final fundraising totals are still being calculated at the event and national level with all funds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

To keep up to date with the Mother’s Day Classic and to see final participant results, head to www.mothersdayclassic.com.au