Girl Guides in Relay For Life
February 28, 2015
Ballarat Relay For Life walk kicks off at Llanberris Reserve
Article in The Ballarat Courier
By ALEX HAMER Feb. 28, 2015, 6:16 p.m.
UPDATE: Due to the storms on Saturday night, Relay for Life had to be called off overnight but the participants were back at it again by 6am.
Ballarat’s cancer survivors, carers and supporters put on a great show in the face of unfortunate weather for the 13th Relay for Life.
Teams started walking around the track at Llanberris Athletics Reserve on Saturday afternoon before storms halted the fundraiser after dark.
Walking resumed before 6am on Sunday.
Ballarat Relay For Life committee chair Andrew Kilmartin said they were looking at a good crowd and a great mix of people at the track.
“We’re at around 800, but it’s going well,” he said.
“We’ve got a great number of young people here, which is something we were working on this year.”
He highlighted the broad range of people affected by cancer.
“Seventy-eight people are diagnosed with cancer in Victoria every day, and 29 die of it,” he said.
Held on Saturday afternoon, the survivors’ and carers’ laps saw cancer survivors team up with the people who had helped them through some tough times.
Deb Plater, a survivor part of the ‘Wannabes’ team, was walking with carer Diane Sinclair, whose sister has the same type of breast cancer.
“You just meet some fantastic people here,” she said.
“You see people you haven’t seen in a while and you meet new people like Diane here.”
Diane said the Survivors’ and Carers’ walk was a very important part of the day.
“It was a bit emotional, with everyone out there,” she said.
There was also lots of reflection for those who couldn’t be there, like a combined group of Girl Guides who honoured former leader Rebekah Watts.
Leader of the Ballarat 11th Girl Guides group Margaret Littlehales said the girls had come up with the idea.
“Rebekah was a Brownie, then a Guide, then a Ranger then a leader, so she was part of it all the way through,” she said.
“Her parents are here too, so everyone’s come together for it.”
