Thousands paint town pink

By Joel Ford
Dressing up in a pink tutu for a breast cancer walk means more to Rebecca Andrews than it does to most people.
The 11-year-old student from Bethlehem College and her friend Alice York were just two of the 3000 participants at the "Girls just wanna have FUN" ASB Women Only Breast Cancer Fun Run, yesterday.
Her mother, Jill Shannon, is recovering from the disease, so for Rebecca the event had special meaning.
"We heard about it through school and I wanted to do it because my mum has cancer. It's great because all the money goes to charity and to help people with the disease," she told the Bay of Plenty Times.
Ms Shannon was also happy to be able to attend the event. It was the first one she had been part of and it had special meaning for her as well.
"Last year I was in hospital so I couldn't do it. It's just good to be able to give something back after all the help I received - it's just fantastic." she said.
The Strand was filled with all shades of pink and every type of bra imaginable. Women - and a few men - wore their brasseries on the outside of their shirts to promote breast cancer awareness. Bras were everywhere - some filled with balloons, some wrapped around heads and even some placed on dogs.
A thousand pink balloons were let loose to kick-off the walk and prizes were handed out for the wackiest bras, best turned out teams and the best cross-dresser. The balloons were pre-sold by group students from Tauranga Girls' College and each bore the name of someone who had been affected by breast cancer.
Along with a wine-tasting station in Mid City Mall and uniformed firemen handing a flower to every woman finishing the race, the event featured eight Silver Fern netballers, who signed autographs and walked the 4.5km course. "It's great to be involved ... and it won't be the last time," said vice-captain Temepara George.