We are excited to welcome St Stithians Boys' College to the 7th annual Pink Derby Day, a fantastic day of hockey and rugby fixtures on Saturday, 22 June 2024, in support of PinkDrive.
St John's College will be dressed in pink, and we encourage all spectators to join in the fun and wear pink, too!
Our First XV Rugby and Second XI Hockey teams will sport bright pink socks, and even the rugby posts and field lines will be painted pink! The PinkDrive team will also be on-site with their mobile screening clinic, offering free scans.
This year, we have something extra special: for a donation, you can write a heartfelt message to someone affected by cancer on our pink Wall of Hope at the main entrance. Whether you’re honouring a survivor, remembering a loved one, or celebrating your own journey, bring a permanent marker and share your message. Donations can be made by scanning the QR code.
Look out for our students selling raffle tickets for a grand prize of two people for two nights at Santorini, Mozambique, Vilanculos and two nights at Azura on Benguerra Island, courtesy of Destination Mozambique. Tickets are R100 each. Pink goodies will be available to purchase throughout the day.
While our two schools enjoy the spirited rivalry, our main message is one of unity. Together, we stand in pink for a cause that touches too many lives.
We can’t wait to see you at the Pink Derby Day!
The History of the Pink Derby Day
In 2013, Alex Kuttschreuter (Thomson 2013), who was then in matric, approached Mr Martin Huysamer, Deputy Head, Student Affairs, to sell pink ribbons to the students at St John's to raise awareness and funds for the oncology unit at a local hospital. He and his brother, Luke Kuttschreuter (Thomson 2008), had lost their mom to cancer a few years earlier. From these humble beginnings and after much brainstorming and tweaking over the next few years, the idea of a Pink Derby Day was established to raise awareness around breast cancer. Annual collections to support this cause achieved varied degrees of success until St John’s teamed up with St Mary’s School to co-host a CANSA Relay for Life, where more than R500 000 was raised.
The first fully-fledged Pink Derby against St Stithians Boys’ College happened in 2016. We also teamed up with The Pink Drive organisation, which provides free support and counselling services to women across South Africa, to raise funds through various initiatives on the day. These initiatives include selling pink roses and pink cupcakes to spectators and supporting the merchandise sold at the Pink Drive stall.
In 2018, St Stithians agreed to reciprocate by dedicating this fixture to this important cause. The impact of having two great boys' schools in Johannesburg support women's health at their annual derby fixture goes a long way to heightening awareness and encouraging early detection that can potentially save lives. We hope this initiative will take off between other traditional boys' and girls' schools in Johannesburg and beyond.
"I am incredibly proud that this amazing initiative has not only thrived for the past 11 years but has also grown beyond our wildest dreams," said Alex.
His older brother Luke concurs. "This is an amazing initiative that really holds a special place in my heart. I’m so proud of my brother, Alex, for making this cause a reality. In the same way, the legacy of our late mum, Debbi, is why I do what I do. Cancer affects every one of us and our families. I strive to do what I can to bring some hope to the families this disease has touched," said Luke, who works as an Oncology Clinical Lead at a pharmaceutical company in the United Kingdom.
What has even more impact than a new drug is increased awareness. Do what you can, speak about it, combat the stigma, and if you are concerned about something, don’t delay in consulting a healthcare professional. Thank you, St John's College, for keeping this alive."