Mother's Day Classic Foundation
The Mother’s Day Classic was founded in 1998 by Mavis Robertson AM, former National Chair of Women in Super (WIS) and Louise Davidson AM. Mavis witnessed a breast cancer fun run overseas and she and Louise were inspired to create something similar in Australia. Together they planted the seed among the Women in Super (WIS) network.
At the time, Industry Superannuation firms were noticing that breast cancer was one of the common reasons for accessing death and disability benefits. Creating an inspiring event to raise critical funds for breast cancer research was the perfect way for WIS to advocate for women’s health and so the Mother’s Day Classic was born.
Just over 3,000 Australians registered for the first Mother’s Day Classic in 1998 with events held in both Melbourne and Sydney. Twenty eight years later, over 1.7 million Mother's Day Classic fans have united on Mother’s Day in every corner of Australia to stand stronger together. The Mother’s Day Classic has become an inspiring, community-driven tradition for tens of thousands of Australian families who want to start their Mother’s Day with purpose and show support for a cause that affects so many.
Since 1998, $48.23 million has been donated to NBCF and $2.57 million has been dontated to OCRF.
Thanks to research, the relative five-year survival rate for breast cancer has increased from 84 per cent to 92 per cent over this period. However, there’s still more to be done to achieve the goal of zero deaths from breast cancer.
Tragically, treatment advances in ovarian cancer have been limited, and treatment approaches have barely changed in 30 years. The survival rate for ovarian cancer is just 49 per cent and there remains no early detection test.
That's why, in 2024, the Mother's Day Classic Foundation decided to go even further and also raise funds for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. From 2024, Mother’s Day Classic participants have been provided with the option of taking part in support of and fundraising for breast cancer research, ovarian cancer research or both.
We’ve made it our mission to stop both ovarian cancer and breast cancer in their tracks.
Women in Super is a not-for-profit organisation that works to improve women’s retirement outcomes by advocating for a super system void of gender-based inequality. The organisation of the Mother’s Day Classic aligns with their work in promoting better retirement prospects for women so they can enjoy a happy and healthy retirement.
Download the Mother's Day Classic Foundation 2024 Annual Report.
MDC Foundation LTD Board
Leeanne Turner
Chair
Zara Lawless
Director and CEO
Melissa Birks
Director
Sue Field
Director
Jocelyn Furlan
Director
Basil Hyman
Director
Nicole Oborne
Director
Robyn Petrou
Director
Stephen Reilly
Director
Mel Warman
Director
National Volunteer Committee Representatives
Mel Warman - NVC Chair
Sydney
Boobs on the Run
Siobhan Glyde
Canberra
Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation
Krista Borg
Parramatta
Club Pilates
Larnie Batten
Darwin
NT Government
Aerlyn O’Brien
Brisbane
RPS Consulting
Dr Amy Dwyer
Adelaide
University of Adelaide
Tori O'Bryan
Hobart
Primary Health Tasmania
Loretta Drago
Melbourne
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Teika Chinnery
Perth
Australian Retirement Trust
Carmen Abi-Saab
Local (regional) event representative
Port Macquarie, NSW
Mother's Day Classic Foundation would also like to extend our sincere thanks to all the wonderful individuals who sit on our State Committees and other volunteer working groups.
