Ambassadors drive WomenCan message

Harness racing reinswomen – and for the first time one reinsman – will be driving home an important message as they compete over the next six weeks.

The industry across Australia and New Zealand is again rallying its support behind the WomenCan Team Teal campaign raising research funds and awareness about women's cancers.

Harness Racing Victoria chairman Dale Monteith announced the Victorian Team Teal ambassadors at the inaugural VHRC gala dinner at Crown Paladium last night.

The Victorian ambassadors are Jodie Quinlan, Kate Gath, Kerryn Manning and Jackie Barker.

Throughout the campaign, more than 260 female drivers across Australia and New Zealand will wear teal-colored driving pants, with industry bodies contributing through sponsorship for each "Teal Pants" victory. The campaign last year raised a total of $165,000 in support of the Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group's (ANZGOG).

In addition, 20 Team Teal ambassadors will wear Teal silks, attracting additional sponsorship contributions – and for the first time, Team Teal has a male "stand-in" ambassador, in NSW reinsman Robbie Morris.

Morris is only too pleased to be donning the teal silks as a substitute for his wife KerryAnn and doing his bit to help try to reach the HRNSW fundraising target of $50,000.

"KerryAnn's been involved pretty much every year in some way, shape or form since Team Teal started six years ago but this year, we're expecting a baby and so obviously she's not able to drive," Morris said.

"She definitely didn't want to let the Team Teal campaign slide though, so I was only too happy to pull on the pants for the cause," he said.

In NSW, KerryAnn (Robbie) Morris, Amanda Turnbull and Ellen Bartley are training and driving ambassadors, and Ashley Hart and Jemma Coney are driving ambassadors.

In Western Australia, Racing and Wagering Western Australia's (RWWA) Community TAB program is the main sponsor of the WA team and will donate $200 each time a race is won by a WA Team Teal driver over the six-week period.

The WA team is made up of eight reinswomen: Deni Roberts, Emily Suvaljko, Aimee-Lee Wood, Jocelyn Young, Lauren Jones, Madeleine Young, Maddison Brown, and Tonia Stampalia. Deni Roberts and Emily Suvaljko are the 2021 Ambassadors proudly representing the WA team for the campaign.

WA Ambassador Emily Suvaljko

Emily said the Team Teal campaign each year gave WA reinswomen a great sense of camaraderie.

"There's a bit of friendly rivalry but you get a bit more eager and just that little extra satisfaction when you do get across the line first," she said.

"The girls are ultra-competitive all the time, so this just adds a little bit more to it – but you definitely always make sure you congratulate any of the other girls if they've beaten the boys!

"Last year the WA girls got 37 wins – we're definitely aiming to do even better this year and each win puts another $200 in for the cause."

The Team Teal campaign was created by well-known and popular Victorian harness racing identity Duncan McPherson OAM who lost his wife Lyn to ovarian cancer in 2010.

Victorian reinswomen set a cracking pace from the start of the campaign last year, and notched up 128 Team Teal victories, raising a total of $48,000 over the six weeks.

This year trainers and stable staff are getting in on the act too, signing up for fundraising Team Teal Shirts to wear throughout February, and jumping in with opportunities to sponsor Team Teal members.

But women's cancer groups say while funding research is important, the awareness side is even more important this year.

They say cancer screening rates having fallen noticeably during 2020, due to COVID-19, making it even more important for women to be aware of common symptoms, to get back on track with their screening, and to visit their doctor if they notice changes.

Teal is the international color of ovarian cancer awareness and the Team Teal challenge runs from February 1 to March 14. To get involved visit this site here.

To find out more about gynaecological cancers visit here. 

Terry Gange

NewsAlert PR Mildura