Navy goes purple for cancer

By Andrew Stackpool

The field track at the Australian Institute of Sport turned bright purple over the night of March 28-29.

One-hundred-and-one hardy Naval volunteers donned their T-shirts and braved cold and thunderstorms to join some 2000 other Canberra-ites and declare war against cancer by participating in the ACT Cancer Council’s annual ‘Relay for Life’.

The teams comprised the Life Fighters, Russell Ramblers, Russell Runners, Sea Legs, Deputy Dogs from NHQ and Defence, and HMAS Harman (Harman TAARG). Stark among the sea of purple were individual red ones, of those who had fought the battle against cancer and won.

The event began with the survivors’ lap before the 24-hour relay.

More moving was the candle-lighting service at 2100 on Friday night in which all participants had the opportunity to honour those who have survived cancer and remember those who have died, by placing a lit candle in the middle of the arena. The subsequent display of soft yellow light was a telling reminder of this silent killer, as well as a tribute to those who had survived.

At about 1730 on Saturday afternoon, as rain started to fall and thunderclouds loomed ominously overhead, almost all the remaining participants turned out on the track in support of their final participants as a gesture of solidarity.
Perhaps one member, who said: “This is a disease, from which even being in the ADF is no protection,” summed the event up best.

“If Cancer doesn’t get any of us sooner or later it may well get someone close to us, if it hasn’t done so already. And that’s why I’m here, to try to get the money needed to deal with it for once and for all.”

At time of going to press the teams had raised more than $2000, with more money still to be collected.

The ‘Relay for Life’ is the World’s largest fundraising event for cancer research. In the USA it raises more than $163 million each year for the American Cancer Society.

The ACT Cancer Council held its first Relay in March 2000. Since then it has raised nearly $300,000. In 2001 the Relay became a national fundraising event, with a fundraising target for 2003 of $4 million.

The Relay for involves teams of 10-15 runners and 10-15 walkers keeping a baton moving around the track for a 24-hour period, from 1800 to 1800.

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