Our history
On 12 September 2010, looking not a day over 30, Sid the Seagull made a 'birthday' appearance as the SunSmart program celebrated three decades of the iconic Slip! Slop! Slap! campaign. 30 years on and the SunSmart program has prevented more than 100,000 skin cancers and saved thousands of lives making it one of the most successful programs in Australia.
A Sunday birthday brunch brought together all those involved in the SunSmart program history. An interactive exhibition charted the development of sun protection in Victoria and new research was launched revealing the tanning attitudes of young people as we head into the warmer spring/summer months.
Cancer Council Victoria and the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation first funded SunSmart in 1988 in Victoria. Today programs operate in each state and territory of Australia by respective Cancer Councils, all using common principles but tailored to jurisdictional priorities.
SunSmart is a multi-faceted program recognised for providing leadership and innovation in ultraviolet radiation (UV) protection. Today the sun protection message has expanded to Slip! Slop! Slap! Seek! Slide! SunSmart seeks to influence individual sun protection behaviours, those with responsibilities for protecting others and broader environmental change. SunSmart also aims to promote and improve the awareness of a balanced approach to UV exposure and the link with vitamin D.
Also refer to:
- News and media to view our campaigns of the 1980s and 1990s
- SunSmart 20 years on [pdf 1.16K] which takes a closer look at what we can learn from SunSmart as a successful health promotion program
- VicHealth
Listen to the original Slip! Slop! Slap! song: It sounds like a breeze when you say it like that... [wmv 2.8M]
