Pink Ribbon Breakfast in Pāuanui bittersweet for organiser Bev Douglas

Like many breast cancer awareness event organisers who have lost friends to the disease, Bev Douglas's Pink Ribbon Breakfast in Pāuanui was bittersweet.

Tickets sold out within 20 minutes and the Pāuanui woman thanked the pink-filled room of 145 women - and a handful of men - for their presence, help and donations.

These are expected to amount to almost $5000 toward the cause this year.

The Pāuanui Club was a pink-hued wonderland thanks to the outfits worn by those attending, and a magnificently styled venue in a bicycle theme cleverly put together by Pat Courtney.

Last year Pat chose handbags as her theme, making them from tin and cardboard and auctioning off the creations to raise more funds. The previous year it was high heels and chocolate.

Her unlikely source of inspiration for this year was the Pāuanui Refuse Transfer Station.

"I saw the bike wheels and thought 'that's it'."

Husband John obligingly painted all the wheels pink and these were hung from the ceiling bedecked with flowers.

As a morning full of fun, chatter, raffles, breakfast and entertainment came to a close, Bev thanked the gathering and congratulated everyone for being part of a fundraiser that has raised $29,000 from the small community over the last 11 years.

She could guarantee that everyone in the room had someone they'd lost, or who was suffering from breast cancer.

"For me, that was Wendy."

Her good friend and support crew member Wendy Hooper was represented only by one of the numerous pink ribbons, tied on the white remembrance tree at the front of the venue.

Bev says the event is only possible because of the many helping hands, and Wendy was always one of her "pink gofers". Two years ago, Wendy, wasn't able to come.

"She said to me 'Bev, I have to go and have some tests done'."

Wendy died in February this year.

"I miss her terribly," says Bev.

"I travelled that journey with Wendy a couple of years ago, and so now I want to use this day to remind you to always make sure you put your hand out to offer support to people who need it, continue that screening, even after you're 70, and spread the word about how important it is - to your daughter, your granddaughter and your friends."