BUTCHERS across Australia are turning pink.
They’ve dyed their hair and beards, donned pink aprons and hats and hung little pink lady silhouettes all over their cabinets.
Why?
They believe Australians affected by breast cancer, and their families, should receive the very best support, information, treatment and care possible.
Their goal is to raise $100,000 via donation boxes, raffles, barbecues, limited-edition meat products and even gala balls throughout October.
It will go to the Breast Cancer Network Australia, which not only provides support but works with health policy makers and service deliverers to ensure all Australians receive equitable and affordable access to the latest best practice treatment and care.
The pink butcher story began in the South Australian shop of Sam and David DiCicco, Seaford Gourmet Meats.
Every day, 48 Australians will hear the words ‘you have breast cancer’ and in 2007, Mrs DiCicco was one.
“BCNA helped me enormously,” Mrs DiCicco said.
“Back then, it was very hard to find information that was local and relevant.
“After I’d had treatment for a few years, the boys thought it would be good to give back so we started turning our butchery pink and customers were very supportive.”
In 2016, fellow SA butcher Rodney Sims, whose wife Pat is a breast cancer survivor, was thinking the same.
“Pat was diagnosed in 2005 and I was thinking what can we do to both celebrate ten years of survival and give something back to everyone who helped her over her journey,” he said.
“Going pick was the obvious answer and everyone in the community knew immediately what it meant.
“BCNA makes sure families are not left out on their own and butcher shops also have very strong community ties. It’s a perfect fit.”
The owner of the butcher shop where Mr Sims worked was on the board of peak industry body the Australian Meat Industry Council, so the message was spread throughout SA.
Eighty independent local butchers came on board and more than $36,000 was raised.
This year, a big portion of AMIC’s 1600 butcher members nationally are going pink and the aim is to raise $100,000.
“There are some pretty good imaginations among butchers, we see so much creativity - they really take it on board,” said Mr Sims, who is now a meat studies lecturer at Charles Darwin University.
“It was always our ambition for it to be a national campaign so we couldn’t be more thrilled.”