A cancer charity has condemned "disgraceful" comments about breast checks made by Toowoomba's deputy mayor at a fundraising ball, and says it is concerned about the wider impact of the "unscripted" remarks.
After numerous complaints, Geoff McDonald has apologised for telling the audience that the partner of one of the guest speakers, a breast cancer survivor, would be pleased to assist attendees with the task of checking their breasts.
Cr McDonald, who was emcee at last weekend's ball, also said the man would be available to meet women inside a cubby house that was being auctioned off "to assist them checking their breasts".
Despite his apology, Cr McDonald defended his behaviour and said he had learned from the feedback he had received.
"I've owned it, I've apologised for it for any distress this has caused," he said.
"I'll learn from it. I'll be a better person for it."
However, he said his comments were successful in emphasising the importance of breast checks and were done in a fashion that people would remember.
"As it turns out, they certainly have remembered it, maybe for different reasons, but it does give us a chance to reinforce that message," he said.
"But I will never apologise on the fact that I was emphasising the clear message, get your breasts checked."
Concern about impact
The event was hosted by Blush Cancer Care, whose board has issued an open letter saying the charity "did not authorise and does not condone the comments made by the MC on the night".
"The comments were inappropriate and we are concerned about the impact that these unscripted words have had on our valued supporters and the broader community," board chair and president Dr Sharyn Donaldson said.
"We are extremely disappointed that the comments, and the associated commentary, have overshadowed what was otherwise an incredibly empowering, encouraging, uplifting and heartfelt evening, filled with emotion, vulnerability and support."
Toowoomba law firm director Sharne Lategan was among the crowd of hundreds last Saturday and labelled Cr McDonald's comments as "disappointing, disheartening and unpalatable".
"Instead of empowering the women in attendance through fostering and creating a safe space for them to talk about the most intimate and vulnerable topic — their breasts and the fatal word cancer — Geoff chose to minimise, to patronise and to foster the stereotypes," Ms Lategan said.
She said his comments were "disgraceful, demeaning and sexist".
The president of the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, Kate Venables, said several complaints were lodged after the ball.
"People have an expectation … so I guess it was just incredibly disappointing," she said.
"What we'd like to see is that all businesses and organisations actually take a step and ask themselves, 'What are we doing to make sure that we're really aware of this issue?'.
"Is there some training that we need to do? How do we ensure that people have the right language, the right skills and the right tools, to be really respectful in all sorts of ways."
Need to talk about cancer
Cancer Council Queensland researcher Jo Aitken said she could not comment on the circumstances surrounding the event, but she highlighted the need for ongoing conversations about cancer.
"It's always good to talk about these things, to be quite open and understand that whether it's prostate or breast cancer, we are aware that cancer happens," Ms Aitken said.
"If cancer is detected early, then treatment is often less severe, and survival is better.
"Screening is very important for breast cancer, particularly between the ages of 50 and 74, when it's known to be most effective."
Dr Donaldson said the ball's purpose was to share the stories of breast cancer survivors.
"The best way to honour them is to carry their positivity and contribution into the conversation," she said.
"I ask that the privacy of those women and others associated with our charity be respected.
"We welcome any direct feedback as to how we can improve as an organisation and would like to thank those who have reached out to express their concern, and also their support for Blush, in recent days."
