Will you join us to raise awareness of haemochromatosis at the Sydney St Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday 15 March?
Each year in March Sydney hosts the fourth largest St Patrick’s Day Parade in the world. The parade and family fun day provides the NSW community with a vibrant, colourful event which showcases the cultural richness of all things Irish and Irish Australian.
On a serious note, it is well-established that people of Celtic descent are at higher risk of inheriting haemochromatosis than the general population. It is so prevalent among this ethnic group that it is sometimes referred to as ‘the Celtic Curse’.
Parade banner to raise awarness
This year, a youth marching band from the St George Players will march in the parade and carry a banner warning of the risk of the Celtic Curse in honour of their former director and co-founder David Thorp who sadly passed away from liver cancer in 2013.
Haemochromatosis Australia are honoured to join David’s widow Jan, many of his friends and the Players by marching as a group in the parade to raise awareness among the Irish Australian and NSW community of the risk of haemochromatosis. You don’t have to be of Irish descent or know how to march – this is just an informal, fun event among friends and people supporting the cause to raise areness of inherited iron overload.
St George Players marching in 2013
We are calling on all of our local members, their families and friends to join us in the parade. By taking part you will help raise the profile of haemochromatosis. The event also promises to be a lot of fun for you and your families. Please let us know if you are prepared to participate by email to tony.moorhead@ha.org.au or phone Tony on 07 5438 8267. Tony will let you know how to find us on the day. Following the march, we will meet up in Hyde Park where the Family Fun Day festival will be held for a chat if you’d like to join us there too.
For information about the parade and festival see http://www.stpatricksday.org.au .