Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Deputy Chairman , Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in this House to speak about the great efforts of those organising the Yarra Ranges Relay for Life. The Relay for Life will take place from Saturday, 10 November through the night until Sunday, 11 November, Remembrance Day. It will take place at the Don Road Sporting Complex in Healesville. Relay teams of between 10 and 15 can walk or run, or both, through the course of the evening to raise funds for the Cancer Council. Last year's event was very successful, and this year's event is going to be as successful if not more so, judged on the efforts of the organising committee.

The committee is made up of about 20 people. The chair is Megan Fleming. Last year's chair was Kaitlin Morrow. Just in this last week, they launched their event in Mount Evelyn by having businesses in the Mount Evelyn community 'paint the town purple' by decorating their shops and windows in displays of purple to promote the Relay for Life. I was driving through Mount Evelyn on the weekend. Some of the standout businesses with purple shopfronts included the hair salon Shear Obsession and the IGA. The launch ended on Saturday afternoon with a fundraising sausage sizzle outside the Mount Evelyn IGA. Despite what was a very cold and rainy day in Melbourne, you will be surprised to hear, Mr Deputy Speaker, that the dedicated volunteer committee raised more than $200 and, just as importantly, got the message out that the Relay for Life is on again this year. As I said, there is a dedicated committee of around 20 people organising this year's event. Last year's event was extremely successful, and I am sure that, with their dedication, this year's event will be as well.