Trangie’s Shane Dolton is hopeful of securing a third breast care nurse for the region after the Narromine and Trangie communities raised another $10,000 for the McGrath Foundation.
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The annual Pink Pigeon Race was held on Saturday to coincide with the Pink Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with people gathering at Narromine’s Dundas Park to watch the birds take flight.
There were no records set as the mercury soared into the 30s by 9am.
Eventually Chappelli – named after former Australian captain and Channel Nine cricket commentator – won in one hour and 15 minutes. Glenn McGrath finished second while pre-race favourite Shane Warne flew in third.
This year the Narromine District Cricket Association also got on board with a Town v Country match which raised $1000 for the McGrath Foundation.
“It’s been trying times with the drought,” Mr Dolton said.
“It was 40-odd degrees on Saturday and the Narromine boys played cricket – that was unbelievable.”
For the first time, this year’s pink events were held over a six-week period, with the Narromine Golf and Trangie Bowls events – including the Pink Pigeon Calcuttas – and the Dubbo Pink Sheep Sale all held before Christmas.
Mr Dolton said the decision paid off.
“It just made December a bit more eventful,” he said.
“The total money raised for the event was well over $10,000 and still counting.
“It’s getting us a step closer to another breast care nurse out west. We’ve got two in Dubbo and we need another one and this little bit should get us there.”
He said the nurses provided crucial support to women affected by breast cancer, with entire families benefitting.
“Girls talk and men don’t want to talk about things like that – they don’t know,” Mr Dolton said.
“The nurses understand, they break it all down. It takes a lot of weight off the men’s shoulders.
“It might not happen tomorrow, but cancer is going to affect every family someday … we’ve got to get on top of it and get the girls healthy again as soon as possible.”
He thanked the Dubbo, Narromine and Trangie communities for their ongoing support of the Pink Pigeon Race.
“They’re still gripping it with both hands and we’ve had a few suggestions for next year so keep an eye on it.”