It was a 2am brainwave that prompted Hugh Bateman to buy a tractor from a Sydney auction. A lick of pink paint back in his hometown of Mudgee and the 64-year-old real estate agent was ready for the 27km/h road trip of a lifetime.
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Mr Bateman's 22-day October odyssey took him to Dubbo, Griffith, Wollongong, Sydney and Coffs Harbour, and raised $355,000 for the McGrath Foundation. Although he has been lucky to avoid breast cancer in his immediate family, he felt called to action by the experiences of his clients and friends.
"Everybody knows somebody that's affected by breast cancer," he says.
Mr Bateman crawled all the way back to the Sydney Cricket Ground for this week's Pink Test, now in its eighth year. The funds he raised will soon be used to hire a new staffer, the McGrath-Bateman Breast Care Nurse, at Bankstown Hospital, to support women with breast cancer.
The foundation has 110 such nurses around Australia, including 36 in NSW. They are tasked with helping families through the medical system, advocating on the patient's behalf with doctors and interpreting jargon.
"She's basically there to support not only the patient but the whole family," says Tracy Bevan, ambassador and director of the McGrath Foundation.
Ms Bevan wants to recruit another 89 nurses, the number she says is required to ensure every family has access to a breast care nurse in the area where they live. Training and funding a full-time nurse costs close to $400,000 over four years.
"Every time we put a nurse on, we need more support," Ms Bevan says.
Mr Bateman witnessed that extraordinary support first hand as he traversed the state. He was regularly stopped for donations by truckies and police, who insisted on an 18-page traffic management plan ahead of the 2900 kilometre trek.
"The reception I got all the way around was quite outstanding," he says.
Having completed its tour, the pink tractor will head back to Mudgee and is looking for a new owner.
