Armajun's Rebecca Waters was one of the organisers of Thursday's second Biggest Morning Tea held in the Armidale clinic to raise funds for Cancer Council. Rebecca said one reason for holding the event was the sudden, sinister spike of the disease within the local Aboriginal population.
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In our culture, cancer was never a health issue. It just seems to have become an issue during the last decade.
- Debbie Green
Rebecca said she would like to raise about $100 from the day, but thought the event was also about raising awareness as much as funds.
"We need to just get word out to the Aboriginal community," she said.
"My reason for wanting to put this on is that over the last couple of years, here in Armidale, we've lost a lot of people to cancer.
"Our community has been affected. We are trying to get a support group up and running. One of the Elders in the community, Trevor Watkins, has been in contact with us and also with Paul Hobson from Cancer Council. They've been in contact with Lisa Waters from Armidale Regional Council and they have just started to meet."
Rebecca said the group would be for Aboriginal family members or clients of Armajun who suffered from cancer within this community.
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Armajun program manager Debbie Green said the Aboriginal community was losing too many people to the disease.
"We can't pinpoint any particular cancer, it just seems to be coming from everywhere," she said.
"In our culture, cancer was never a health issue. It just seems to have become an issue during the last decade."
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