Tomorrow is the day lady drivers all around Australia and New Zealand will hang up their traditional white driving pants and replace them with Teal pants for a very worthy cause.
For the next six weeks (between February 1 and March 10) these ladies will form “Team Teal”, an awareness and fundraising campaign that connects the harness racing industry with Women’s Cancer Foundation. Each time a female driver wins a race they secure funds for ovarian and gynaecological cancer research conducted by the Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG).
While the campaign initiated in Victoria in 2014, it has since grown to an international status with hundreds of reinswomen wearing teal driving pants last year, securing a total of 315 winners and close to $200,000 in donations. This year they strive for more with the fundraising goal set at $250,000.
As in tradition the campaign ends with the Australian Female Drivers Championship, this year being staged at Albion Park on March 9.
Narissa McMullen and Kylie Rasmussen will represent Queensland in the multi-race series and therefore have been selected as Queensland’s Teal Ambassadors who will also wear Teal driving silks throughout the campaign.
McMullen has been the most successful Queensland female driver while driving in her teal pants for the past two campaigns, in which she has accumulated a total of 19 winners.
“It’s great that we are back driving in the teal pants again this year, getting a winner is always great but to raise money for such a worthy cause while doing so is even better,” McMullen said.
The harsh reality is that this year, more than 1400 women in Australia alone will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Over 900 of these same women will die from the disease.
The Women’s Cancer Foundation strives to change these statistics, however we need your help to raise much needed funding to support their research projects and raise awareness.
Donation buckets and Teal merchandise will be available at Albion Park as well as many other harness clubs. You can also donate directly at https://donate.everydayhero.com/d/XS0leTYXVguOJ1_hqCb5_w/amount
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
