Paint It Pink, put on by the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative, brought together Aboriginal women from across central Victoria as well as service providers, including BreastScreen and the Cancer Council of Australia.

Participants took part in a breast screen and had the chance to get their hair and make-up done.

BDAC chief executive Raylene Harradine said the idea for the event was born out of a discussion which identified the need for women to come together and raise awareness of health in areas of early detection, prevention and self care.

"The impact of cancer on Aboriginal women often attracts much less attention (therefore) Aboriginal women are more likely to be diagnosed in the later stages," Ms Harradine said.

"The event addressed the lower rates of screening and provided messages for our community that health checks and screenings are important to the survival of Aboriginal women.

"By the time they discover that they have something it's actually too late. So a lot of the times our community is hospitalised and they do die."

Ms Harradine said the event had been driven by the co-operative's health promotion plan, developed in 2014, which forms part of the Koolin Ballit Strategy.

"It's about using what we can and opportunities to promote healthy living and lifestyles in our community. The focus is on prevention around our health," she said. 

Ms Harradine urged Aboriginal people to regularly visit their doctor for a check. 

"We are trying to promote that people need to go and get regular check ups. Even though, in some cases, you might have been to the doctor and everything looks fine, if you are not happy go back," she said.

"At the end of the day it's your own health. As an organisation we can provide the vehicle to provide our community with information and run specific areas of health but it's about taking ownership of your body."

BDAC is hosting a community forum on November 11 at Bendigo TAFE MacGillivray Hall.