Angel wings, feather boas and chemical burn as Jane McGrath Day paints SCG pink

2 months ago 6

Glenice Bryant lined up at Gate E of the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday as one of the shortest in a pack of identically dressed fans.

She would have been easy to miss if not for the custom pink and purple jerseys she and her daughter Jodie wore – the colours signifying breast cancer, which the 68-year-old has survived, and pancreatic cancer, for which she is currently undergoing treatment.

Glenice Bryant and daughter Jodie at the SCG on Tuesday.

. While she would have been happy to remain a spectator, Bryant made her way from the stands and onto the pitch to be one of a group honoured on the 18th Jane McGrath day.

Held annually on the third day of the Sydney Test, the day honours McGrath – the late wife of former Test fast bowler Glenn – who died from breast cancer in 2008 aged 42. The McGrath Foundation they established raises money to fund nurses treating cancer patients, including Bryant, across Australia.

“It means a lot,” she said. “They helped me through the whole process.”

The final addition to Bryant’s outfit was a pink cap signed by Glenn McGrath, who began the day chatting to the media outside the SCG with his three children and several of the foundation’s nurses.

Catherine Wood has volunteered on Jane McGrath day for six years.

“To see my favourite ground in the world awash in pink is always very special,” he said.

Volunteer Catherine Wood arrived at the stadium clad in enough pink for two, including two sets of angel wings, a feather boa and a McGrath Foundation flag lodged in her hair. The 45-year-old has helped fund-raise on this day for six years.

“We want our patrons at the cricket to see us, we want to be visible because then we get the patrons talking,” she said. “So I go all out just so the patrons can see me, and then they talk, and that conversation starts the movement that we want.

“You’re really letting these patrons share with you their experience and that’s really important because the grief they go through losing a loved one or the hardship they go through while going through their treatment is something that really affects them, so that’s really important.”

Having purchased a bandana from Wood’s stall, 36-year-old Daniel Eisenhuth’s outfit was finally complete. He and his wife were up early this morning to dye his beard a glittery pink for the occasion.

“People love it,” he said. “And often there are people who f---ing hate it.”

Dying his hair pink took Eisenhuth three days. On day one, he bleached it three times – ignoring the recommendation on the side of the bleach bottle – before applying the pink colour over the next 48 hours.

“There was a little bit of chemical burn, a little bit of weepage,” he said. “But it was all worth it.”

Also maintaining a personal tradition was 71-year-old Rod Thompson, who has worn the same pink jacket for the last 18 years of McGrath day.

“I think it’s a great cause,” he said. “I’m a big fan of Glenn McGrath, one of the greatest cricketers ever. Terrible thing what happened to him and his family and Jane of course, so it’s a wonderful thing this foundation is doing, and I’m happy to support it.

“I’ll keep going so long as I can come out. I might be in a wheelchair before I stop coming.”