The Big Picture: Fuchsia Shock

(DAVID CROSLING / EPA)

Clad in pink ponchos, they gathered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and formed a giant silhouette of a pink woman on the field.

Some of the women had survived breast cancer, others were still fighting the disease. The men were there to support their loved ones or to remember those who had lost the battle.

There were 14,000 people in the mass formation, which stretched the length of the field – representing the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer every year in Australia. Participants included Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Olympic sprinter Raelene Boyle, herself a survivor of breast cancer. Last night's event raised Aus$700,000 (£422,000) for Breast Cancer Network Australia.