newy.com.au – Fifteen women from Newcastle Transport’s bus, ferry and light rail network have taken part in the annual Pink Bus trip, a staff run initiative encouraging regular breast screening.
Held during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the event encourages women in the team to have a mammogram every two years.
Keolis Hunter bus operator Tracey Gaston took over the initiative after its founder, bus operator Margaret Pannell, retired. For Gaston, the role has taken on added personal significance.
“This is a job that I cherish, and it is even more close to my heart since my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025,” she said.
Pannell started the Pink Bus in 2011 after a colleague was diagnosed with breast cancer at 40. Newcastle Transport says three team members have been diagnosed with breast cancer since the initiative began, and all three are survivors.
Gaston said participants decorated the bus together and wore pink to raise awareness, bringing some fun to an appointment that could feel uncomfortable.
“While it is not something we look forward to, as it can feel a bit uncomfortable, we make it fun by decorating the bus together and wearing a splash of pink to raise awareness across the day, and there are always lots of laughs.”
She also urged women aged 40 to 74 to book a free breast screen.
A fundraiser is being held across Newcastle Transport depots to raise money for the Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation.
