BRAS WITH BENEFITS!
A special fence is helping those in need and turning into a quirky Aussie tourist attraction
Australians are ripping off their underwear to hang on display in an outback country town in the NSW Riverina.
The Mathoura Bra Fence is the brainchild of resident Sharnie Celli, 50, who slung the first bustier on the paling – a green bra covered in frogs – that belonged to her beloved friend Wendy Nikolovski, who sadly died of breast cancer in 2017.
Not only is the famous fence now covered in thousands of brassieres as well as some jocks and socks, the tourist attraction has raised more than $20,000 to support locals suffering from cancer.
REMEMBERING WENDY
Sharnie says she came up with the quirky idea to honour her beautiful friend and give others the opportunity to remember loved ones they had lost.
“I’d seen a similar bra fence on a travel show and I liked the idea because it was fun, different and cheeky, just like Wendy,” Sharnie tells Woman’s Day.
“Word spread fast, and the bras started coming in quick – we stopped counting once we had 750. It’s unique, it’s different and people get quite a shock when they pass through town and aren’t expecting it.”
Getting the fence off the ground wasn’t as easy as mother-of-one Sharnie first imagined. The hardest part was finding a kind-hearted local with a suitable fence that
‘People ask in their will for donations to the bra fence!’
would be easily spotted by travellers. Luckily, lifelong Mathoura resident Anne Robertson offered the fence on her property, which is located in a prime position on the highway.
Anne says as soon as she heard about the fence to honour Wendy, who had owned the local post office with her husband for 15 years, it was a “no brainer”. “Wendy was a community-minded person who was always willing to help with fundraising for the town, like raising money for the local skate park to be built, and even helping do the decorations for the Mathoura cancer fundraiser,” says Anne, 55. “Even when she was battling cancer, she still had a smile on her face and went to work every day when she was able to.”
Among the collection of pre-loved underwear, which includes a coconut bra and some super busty bras, there’s a donation tin for anyone who wants to chip in for locals suffering from cancer.
So far, the money has been used to buy food and petrol vouchers for more than 30 people in the community undergoing gruelling cancer treatment.
“It’s all about making their lives a bit easier,” says Sharnie. “Most of them face either a two-hour journey to Bendigo or a three-and-a-half-hour trip to Melbourne several times a week for treatment.
“Sadly, many are no longer with us, but they’ve had it put in their will ‘no flowers’ at their funeral, just ‘donations to the bra fence’ so they can help others.”
A COMMUNITY UNITED
While a fence can often divide a community, the Mathoura population of around 900 are proud of their wacky landmark.
Anne says she loves seeing people from all over the country stop at her fence to have a laugh, donate their underwear and proudly pose for photos in front of the giant pink banner.
“Everybody is very grateful we’re doing this and love the idea of it,” Anne adds.
“I remember the day Wendy’s husband left our block to go home and we found him at the bra fence having a photo taken with a bunch of topless girls
– we all got a good laugh out of that!”