Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence, thank you to all members, particularly the member for Cook, for bringing this before the House. I rise today on behalf of my community in Tasmania and my family to say goodbye to Jane McGrath following her 11-year battle with breast cancer. Jane was a remarkable woman. Members who have already spoken on the condolence motion today have remarked on her very special qualities, no better demonstrated than in the McGraths’ interview with the ABC’s Andrew Denton. What struck me most, apart from the extraordinary relationship between the two wonderful Australians and their love for each other, was her incredible sense of humour and optimism in the face of what she knew to be a very serious illness. She indeed was remarkable. Her courage and determination to fight this deadly disease was outstanding, and her contribution to raising funds for research into its cause will not be forgotten. As my honourable colleague just mentioned, that will mean a great deal to those people who unfortunately may suffer with this in the future and to the educative program.

Both Jane and her husband, Glenn, were appointed members of the Order of Australia for the establishment of the McGrath Foundation, which has raised millions of dollars for the fight against breast cancer. Jane was an incredibly courageous woman. She has inspired very many other women across Australia to fight breast cancer with tenacity and optimism. Madam Deputy Speaker, if I may, I would like to pay tribute to Jane and to share with you the story of other remarkable women in my electorate who have been inspired by Jane and today have conveyed to me their deep sense of thanks to Jane and their condolences to her family; she was an inspiration to them. I would like to share with the member for Cook particularly the nature of what these ladies—and their male supporters as well—have done, as it is very much in the vein of what Jane would have liked.

They call themselves the Circular Head Bosom Buddies, which is great—and, indeed, they are bosom buddies. The Circular Head Bosom Buddies comprise 14 inspirational women who all live in the far north-west coast community of Circular Head, which is in my electorate. Each of the women has been touched by breast cancer in some way. Some are survivors; others have seen first-hand the effect that breast cancer has had on a loved one. Tired of feeling helpless in the fight against this debilitating disease—and I know that is something that Jane raised; there is an initial sense of helplessness, but you want to do something about it—these women made the decision to put themselves out there and be proactive in raising funds for research into breast cancer.

Some people may have decided to hold a raffle in the past or to host  trivia nights, but the Bosom Buddies set their sights much higher and decided to douse themselves in pink and walk from Smithton to Hobart, effectively travelling from one end of Tassie to the other—and it is about 450 kilometres. So the pink ribbon brigade set off. They also set their sights on raising $100,000 to go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. From 11 to 21 April last year, the Bosom Buddies walked in the fight against breast cancer and it took them 11 days and 11 nights. For a minimum entry fee of $5, supporters were invited to join in any of the sections of the walk.

Coinciding with the walk, the Bosom Buddies coordinated the mother of all raffles. At every available opportunity they sold tickets—in the sunshine, in the wind and in the rain; you name it. They sold their tickets in street stalls, at the local agricultural shows that they visited along the way and at local sporting events. At each stop along the way, the Bosom Buddies were accommodated free by local businesses, and local newspaper the Advocate recorded their journey each day, again highlighting this whole cause. For 11 days and 11 nights, all Tassie stopped to watch, donate and applaud the work of the Bosom Buddies. They also hosted more than 10 other fundraising events in the lead-up to the big walk. These events took a great deal of time and effort to coordinate. On behalf of our community, I thank the Bosom Buddies for their selfless contribution to the fight against breast cancer. To cap it off, they exceeded their $100,000 target, raising $137,000 for the cause. I know that Jane would have been very proud of them for that.

The financial outcome of this event is, as we all know, only part of it. It was the awareness raised at the same time that I would also like to highlight. I know that was very much part of Jane and Glenn’s message to the Australian community: we have to become aware, we have to become conscious and we have to be mindful. For each place the Bosom Buddies visited, each stopover they had or each person who read about their travels, if one person was prompted to book themselves in for a mammogram or was taught how to conduct checks on their own breasts, just think of how many lives might be saved in Tasmania. Many women are now better educated about the disease than before. A blog on the website of the Bosom Buddies captures the beginning of their walk the best. It reads:

It made all of us feel so proud as we walked down the main street (followed by about 100 supporters and a horse dressed in pink), to the cheers and well wishes of the local business owners, employees and the general public who come out to see us off.

Of their final day, their blog reads:

It was a very proud moment for us all as we were led ... by the Tasmanian Police.

That was only for support, I would add; it was not for any other reason. It continues:

Family and friends were at the gardens to welcome us. It was a very emotional moment. A few tears were shed by us all.

One of the driving forces behind the Bosom Buddies is businesswoman and breast cancer survivor Judy King. On the phone this morning, Judy paid tribute to Jane McGrath. She said that the very unfortunate death of Jane will ultimately help to raise awareness and vital funds for breast cancer research and support and will provide great inspiration to all. I quote from Mrs King:

That’s what Jane McGrath was all about, raising funds and awareness, and that’s what the Bosom Buddies are all about.

So, as I mentioned, clearly Jane was a great inspiration. Mrs King says that the walk from Smithton to Hobart has grown into so much more, and one of the unexpected results has been the rise in the awareness that men can also have breast cancer. One of the walkers on the trek across Tasmania, auctioneer Crichton Horton, joined to represent men and to do his bit to raise the profile of that issue. Indeed, I think the incidence of prostate cancer amongst men, particularly in the light of the education and testing program for breast cancer in women, really highlights what is an important health issue in our country, and I think a lot of men have to take note of this as well. We know how serious and deadly cancer is.

Mrs King says the work of the Bosom Buddies has been ongoing and will continue in October this year when they launch their book about the experience, titled The Walk of Life, which I think is a very apt description. The printing of the book has been sponsored by the National Breast Cancer Foundation and a copy will be given to breast cancer patients. I quote from Mrs King:

The Bosom Buddies are still out there working for breast cancer awareness, fighting for more money and care and we will continue to do so.

The Bosom Buddies are all about making the difference. When you’ve survived something like breast cancer it changes your whole outlook on life and makes you re-evaluate everything.

I know that was certainly a message that Jane and Glenn gave in their interview on the Denton program. Why does it take—and unfortunately, in this instance, it was certainly not something they wished—moments of crisis in our lives and in our health for us to appreciate our lives and to look after ourselves and our neighbours and families? I know that Glenn and Jane were absolutely dedicated to encouraging everyone to live their life for the moment, to enjoy it and be positive and to contribute to the wellbeing of others.

In my passing tribute to Jane, and also to Glenn and their young family—for whom it must be very, very difficult—I would also like to recognise and pay tribute to a person whom I regard as one of the bravest and most courageous people I know, and a person who seeks nothing of others except love and gives it in so many more ways than she receives it. That is my sister-in-law, Marianne Langford-Sidebottom, who has suffered from breast cancer and is in a third stage of fighting cancer. She is an extraordinary fighter and a remarkable person. She is still going well and is very positive—sorry; this has just brought it all to me. Her husband, John, and children, Freya, Kendal and Elliott, are a very, very strong family. Marianne was an absolute fitness fanatic and still is. I think this greatly contributed to her ability to fight this, and she continues to fight it. She is a very courageous and determined person; a person with great perseverance. A thing that I thought that Jane McGrath seemed to exhibit—I did not know the McGraths, obviously, but from every time I saw Jane and Glenn—was something that Marianne exhibits also, and that is a tremendous optimism, a positiveness about living and a mindfulness about life and relationships.

Marianne is such a person and is very, very courageous. I draw great inspiration from her and John and the family. I think very much of them, and I know that they would be saddened by Jane’s passing, but she too suffered with Marianne. Marianne continues with her battle, but I think we could all draw inspiration from people like Marianne and certainly Jane in our lives. I hope we can do a lot more to support these wonderful people, who certainly inspire me. I offer my condolences to Jane’s family, including Glenn. The member for Cook no doubt will be passing this on, and the parliament’s condolences and best wishes to the family, and I certainly want to pay tribute to Marianne Langford-Sidebottom, who is an absolute battler and an absolute beauty, and her family. Thank you for this opportunity to offer my great condolences.

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