A high tea at the Ritz Hotel in London more than a decade ago was the inspiration for the McGrath Foundation's signature high tea events, which run throughout the country.
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As cricket WAGs, Tracy Bevan and Jane McGrath so enjoyed the high tea at the top-notch hotel that they decided to use the concept to raise funds for breast cancer support.
Ms Bevan helped set up the McGrath Foundation in 2003 following Ms McGrath's own breast cancer diagnosis and she remains one of the driving forces behind the organisation since her friend's death in 2008.
On Sunday, Ms Bevan was in Wollongong to launch the first high tea event, and she said Ms McGrath would have been proud.
"To come to Wollongong for the first time and for the event to be a sell-out is just fantastic," Ms Bevan said.
"Jane and I organised the first high tea in Manly 10 years ago because, as cricket wives, we'd enjoyed a high tea at the Ritz and had the time of our lives.
"It's a great way to get together with friends and have a good time, and we wanted to use such an event to really make a difference to people's lives, too.
"I know she'd be incredibly proud, happy and grateful to see everyone here."
The funds raised at the event, at Seacliff Restaurant in North Wollongong, go towards the army of breast care nurses now placed in communities across the country including Lynda Horning at Wollongong Hospital.
In 2008, there were four specialist breast care nurses in Australia. Thanks to the work of the McGrath Foundation, there are now 102 nurses who have provided support for more than 33,000 families.
"When Jane was initially diagnosed with breast cancer, she went through her treatment without a breast care nurse," Ms Bevan said.
"It wasn't until 2003 when she was being treated for secondary cancer that she had access to one - and she described her as an angel."
About 80 per cent of the nurses are based in rural and regional communities, so that women and their families in these areas can receive the support and information they need.
With one in eight Australian women receiving a breast cancer diagnosis before the age of 85 and about 260 Illawarra women diagnosed with breast cancer each year, Ms Bevan said she would continue to highlight the demand for breast cancer support services.
"Our aim is to get to 110 breast care nurses this year - to help a further 10,000 families."
