BCNA is proud to partner with Brisbane and Gold Coast AFL players and brothers Jarrod and Tom Berry in their role as Pink Sports Day Ambassadors.
When Jedda Berry passed away from breast cancer in July of 2013 Joel, Jarrod and Thomas, her sons, vouched to live their lives in honour of the traits she personified - care, resilience and empathy.
Jarrod recently clocked over his one hundredth game with Brisbane Lions while younger brother Tom was drafted to the club in 2019 and at the end of Season 2022 moved to join the neighbouring Queensland side, the Gold Coast Suns.
The bond formed with family and friends throughout the time since Jedda's passing has been the cornerstone to what the five boys are trying to achieve in coming onboard as BCNA Pink Sports Day Ambassadors.
Ben Lakin and Will Robertson joined the three Berry boys as a band of ‘brothers’ in 2018 to help support BCNA when they organised a head shave to raise money for the organisation.
This event was held five years after their mother's passing, with the event raising sixty thousand dollars for Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) as a way to acknowledge and honour her memory.
In 2023 they aim to again honour ‘mum’ with a ‘Marathon for Mum’ partaking in Horsham Victoria on November the 11th. The five boys will backtrack from City Oval, 42km out of town on the Western highway and run back into town where celebrations and live music will provide the setting to trade stories with all those who knew Jedda.
Jarrod and Tom’s mother was a huge support to the boys in their junior football careers as she fulfilled the role of both taxi driver and number one supporter. She even used to write match reports for them after their games! Jarrod attributes the powerful influence of his late mother to his success.
‘I learnt plenty of lessons off her in terms of resilience and not giving up in any battles. It’s probably been the biggest factor in everything I’ve done.’
Photo's from the 2018 Head Shave
Jarrod on 'Why clubs should host their own Pink Sports Day"....
Pink Sports Days are about bringing people together to play sport, raise money for BCNA and support those affected by breast cancer, something that is close to Jarrod’s heart. After his mother’s death, he realised how lucky he was to have the support of people around him.
'We had people giving us food and looking after my brothers and dad when mum was in the hospital. It was a massive community effort and helped me to make peace with Mum’s life and what she left as her legacy.’
Although sport is something that takes up most of the Berry brothers’ time, for Jarrod, supporting BCNA is something that is also important to him.
‘Mum was a pretty inspirational person and leader, despite not trying to be. The actions I take are always in memory of her and everything I do is in honour of her — that’s how I like to hold myself in life.’