Crowds wet ‘for a purpose’
Christine Walsh caught up with the participants at the Relay for Life.
Hundreds of people turned out in the rain to support the Cancer Society at Taranaki’s Relay for Life 2017 and raised an estimated $100,000 in the process.
The 12 hour relay at Pukekura Raceway on Saturday, kicked off with a lap of honour by cancer survivors and carers to recognise the hurdles they overcame.
‘‘The fact there is sadness, but hope, sorrow, but joy. To see people out in the rain are here for a purpose, and nothing was going to stop them,’’ Taranaki Cancer Society manager Meg Rodel said.
Team members sporting colourful costumes walked the sodden circuit - sharing a bit of humorous banter along the way.
Despite the rain the raceway had a festive vibe, as a live band sounded out across the site lined with tents and gazebo’s, decorated with balloons and streamers. The unmistakable smell of barbecue wafted past, as often as umbrellawielding pedestrian traffic. As the walkathon went on, entrants tagged out for breaks, and other team members tagged in.
The relay attracted multiple teams including purple-tutu-toting PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) staff members.
‘‘A lot of us to joined in because we knew someone who had been affected by cancer,’’ said PwC’s Jaimee Baylis.
Baylis said it was a worthwhile cause, and the team of 15 had fundraised a number of ways including a workplace mufti day, raffles, and selling home baking.
For every dollar the team made the PwC organisation was matching it dollar for dollar, she said. Colleagues who couldn’t do the walk formed a small support crew; so when one of their walkers tagged out, they stepped up to pass them a drink, snack, or the seat they’d been warming.
Chairperson of the relays’ committee Raewyn Rooney got into the spirit of the day wearing fairy-like fancy dress. Her long history of volunteering for the Cancer Society includes acting as chairperson of the local Relay for Life, and the relay’s ceremonies committee.
Rooney was a bowel cancer survivor, she said.
‘‘So many people made my journey easier and it’s my way of giving back.’’
While the opening ceremony had a vibe of hope, unity and cel- ebration, when night fell the sombre atmosphere echoed the sense of sadness felt during the solemn ceremonies.
Dusk was the time for people to reflect and remember loved ones affected by cancer. New special touches added impact to the poignant moments this year including a new poem reading and a solo bag- piper played Amazing Grace.
The majority of funds raised at the event to raise awareness for cancer and to support the work of the Cancer Society stays within the region. She said they wouldn’t know the exact amount raised for a couple of weeks but early indications were that more than $100,000 had been raised.