Update

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS  - Last week Graaff-Reinet hosted several events in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Pink trees for Pauline

The unique Pink Trees for Pauline project had its "Stride by Stride" night walk on Friday evening. For one night, the streets belonged to them as they made their way through the lights of Graaff-Reinet – getting closer to beating cancer stride by stride. 

After the night walk, they hosted a Food Court event at Our Yard Restaurant in Somerset Street to celebrate 10 years of making a difference. 

As they commemorate their 10th anniversary, they aim to exceed the amount raised in the first year. They are still selling pink cloth, T-shirts, lipstick, earrings, and a Pink Trees for Pauline rosé wine in aid of the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association. These items are available at Our Yard Restaurant. After ten years and hundreds of kilometres of material in over 140 towns, Pink Trees for Pauline continues to look to the future with exuberance and great excitement.

Cawse

The Camdeboo Animal Welfare, Shelter & Education (Cawse) also hosted their Pink Paws for Cawse event at the Our Yard Restaurant Food Court on Friday evening to raise awareness about breast cancer in dogs and cats. "Just as humans can get cancer in mammary (breast) tissue, so can dogs and cats," explains Cawse member, Nicola Woods. 

"It is most common in dogs and cats that have not been spayed, or those spayed only after their first heat cycle, and usually occurs at about 10 to 12 years of age." Cawse had a food stall at the Our Yard Restaurant Food Court to raise funds in aid of animal welfare.

Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality

The Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality's staff and councillors, together with officials from the Department of Education and the Department of Health, participated in a colour fun walk on Friday to raise funds for the fight against cancer. Tickets were sold at R30 and included a cancer ribbon. The colour fun walk was hosted in aid of the Graaff-Reinet Hospice.

Pink Tea

Last week Tuesday, a group of retired teachers had their annual pink tea at Profcon Resort in Somerset Street. This event was organised by Ethne Hufkie and Virginia Christoffels, both retired Spandau Secondary School teachers. Virgina serves on the Board of the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association. 

Ethne explained that the event was initiated 12 years ago when teachers at Spandau Secondary School had their first pink tea in the staff room and started raising funds for the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association. After the first year, they reached out to other schools and invited them to the pink tea. 

Since then, these schools have been raising funds for the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association every year – save for the lockdown period. "The teachers who initiated the pink tea are all retired, but the younger generation of teachers and the children and parents also stepped in to assist with fundraising, making it so much easier," said Ethne. The theme of this year's pink tea was "White with a touch of Spring" and again, it was hosted in aid of the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association.