April 2013 Vol 6 No 3 here from Mar 21 2013 - Communitywebs.org

www.prostate.org.au Page 3NEW CENTRAL AUSTRALIA CHAPTER INITIATIVEpart in the journeyFUNCTIONAL: Female partners provide important support at PCFA activities, asshown by Kay Hearn (left) and her husband Bryan sharing a lighter moment with JillBrew at a PCFA function in Alice Springs, July 2009 (with Terry Harbour, Jeff Roberts,John Shields, Caroline Anderson and others in the background).• Doris Klenke lives atMurray Bridge and willbe the contact for womenliving in Murray Bridge,the Riverland, Barossa,Gawler, Limestone Coast,and any new support groupsthat may be formed in ruralareas.Contact Doris by phone(08 8532 1936), mobile(0414 249 372) or email(max.klenke@gmail.com).• Joan Manfield, wholives at Port Pirie, will bethe contact for people livingin Port Pirie, the lower EyrePeninsula, Whyalla, lowerYorke Peninsula, Clare, theMid North region and anynew groups that form innorthern regions of SouthAustralia.Contact Joan by phone(08 8632 1324), mobile(0437 863 299) or email(jaman@live.com.au).Please be aware that theseChapter Council contactwomen may choose torearrange the allocationof different regionalresponsibilities if they finda need to share the workloadmore equally.Although these threewomen are all busy asChapter Councillors, theyare confident that they canbe effective leaders in bothareas.They are especiallyhopeful of encouragingwomen in support groupsto build a good rapport witheach other.While support groupsobviously focus on menand how prostate cancer isaffecting them, sometimeswe do not appreciate justhow much the disease isalso affecting wives andpartners.It is now time to address thissituation by pledging oursupport and encouragementof women prepared to talkabout the issues they face,as an important aspect ofprostate cancer support.For ladies in our communitysuffering in silence withprostate cancer issues,it will also be importantthat GPs, urologists andHealth Service Networksin metropolitan and countryareas are made aware thatthe network of prostatecancer support groups alsoplace a strong emphasison giving wholeheartedsupport to women.It is vitally importantthat we all recognise thattheir lives are also greatlyaffected by their men whohave been diagnosed with,or are undergoing treatmentfor, prostate cancer.We hope all support groupswelcome this change.A REPORT FROMALAN DAND• The March meeting ofthe Riverland supportgroup had sevenmembers, including twonew guests who spokeabout their journey withprostate cancer.We are still strugglingto get more people toattend our meetings butwith further advertising,I am sure this willimprove. One attendeecame after he heard meon ABC radio; anotherwas referred by DrJames Aspinal.I have now become aPCFA Central AustraliaChapter councilmember, to gatherinformation that couldhelp get our messageout for more men tohave regular checks.I also attendedambassador training,an excellent twodayprogram. 24members took partand were presentedwith certificates andan ambassadors’ toolkit (a USB containingeverything needed for apresentation). I now feelconfident to presentmy first talk soon forthe Rotary Club of MtBarker.The next meeting forthe Riverland supportgroup will be at theCombined ServicesClub Rooms, Kealy St,Berri, at 7pm, May 14.Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia freecall hotline is 1800 22 00 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au

Page 4www.prostate.org.auProstate Cancer Action GroupRotary club steps in toensure Awareness eventCOMINGEVENTSAPRIL MEETING:The Prostate CancerAction Group SAholds its monthlymeetings in theupstairs meetingroom at the CancerCouncil SA building,202 Greenhill Rd,Eastwood. The nextmeeting starts at5.30pm on Tuesday,April 9. Entry is viathe rear stairway.• For moreinformation, visitthe Action Group’sdedicated website,with detailedarchives containingnewsletters, at www.pcagsa.org.au orcontact by phoningDavid Merry on8270 2227 or emaildjmerry@adam.com.auA small setback won’t stop the Action Group from remainingactive and positive about spreading awareness of prostatecancer throughout 2013, as David Merry reports.the Prostate CancerAction Group’smeeting in Marchbrought news that a verygood former arrangement,which ensured one ofthree Cancer Council staffattended our monthlymeetings on rotation,would now cease.Instead, Cancer Councilrepresentatives will onlycome to the Action Groupmeetings once every sixmonths.This disappointing newshas reduced our links withthe Cancer Council andalso curtails the servicepreviously offered forAction Group members tobe able to frequently extractrelevant research newsfrom the Cancer Council’slibrary of medical journalsand other reports.Despite this setback,Action Group activitiescontinue to forge ahead for2013.Plans for awarenessevents to occur during theyear are in hand, includingour presence at the YorkePeninsular Field Days inSeptember.Importantly, the RotaryClub of Charles SturtGrange has agreed tosupport the first Awarenessmeeting planned inAdelaide’s western suburbsfor 2013.Jeff Roberts is currentlyrecording the history ofthe Action Group, which isnow in its 16th year. So far,Jeff has reached 2008 in hisreasearch efforts.Under the new budgetingrules of PCFA, detailedestimates of costs forrunning events will berequired for approvalby the Central AustraliaChapter Council before anyfuture events are held bythe Action Group.A NEW DRUG WORTHTAKING ACTION TOENSURE PBS LISTINGThe Action Groupendorses the request ofPCFA staff in approachingthe Federal Minister ofHealth and other membersof Parliament in effortsto have the new drugAbiraterone (Zytiga) listedon the PharmaceuticalBenefits Scheme.This is very important, asit is the first new treatmentfor advanced prostatecancer to become availablein Australia for more than adecade.Please refer to lobbyingsuggestions from MargaretBennett of PCFA NationalOffice to make your voiceheard. For details, visit thewebsite www.pcfa.org.auCOMING EVENTSBarossa Prostate Cancer Support Group• The Barossa Prostate Cancer Support Group has scheduled its 2013 meetings for the third Tuesdayof each month, from 2pm to 4pm at various support group members’ homes. The next meeting is beingheld on Tuesday April 16.• For further information, please phone Don Piro, co-ordinator of the Barossa support group, on 85623359 or email don@dppcs.com.auThe Prostate Cancer Foundation of of Australia freecall hotline is is 1800 1800 22 22 00 00 99 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au

www.psaadelaide.org Page 5Prostate Cancer Support and Awareness: ADELAIDE GROUPLearning the importance ofour national health schemeThe new year started with a new insight into the national system for regulating healthpractitioners, as Adelaide Prostate Cancer Support Group’s Ian Fisk reports.Prior to our invitedspeaker’s presentation inFebruary, the AdelaideProstate Cancer Support Groupheld its Annual General Meeting.There were few changes inthe officers for the group. JeffRoberts and Ian Fisk remainco-convenors of the group, thesecretary and treasurer is IanFisk, Pam Fisk will continuelooking after name tags and– most importantly – PatDelpin will continue as supperco-ordinator. Violetta kindlyvolunteered to look after ourlibrary.Thanks to all those who haveassisted during the past year.The support group is alsofinancial thanks to money raisedat the Bunnings barbecue inSeptember.The speaker at our February 18meeting was Bradley Williamsfrom the Australian HealthPractitioner Regulation Agency.The AHPRA is responsiblefor implementing the NationalRegistration and AccreditationScheme and Bradley explainedthe organisation’s structure andfunction.The Council of AustralianGovernments decided in 2008to establish a single NationalRegistration and AccreditationScheme for registered healthpractitioners, as each state hadits own independent body.On July 1, 2010, the followingprofessions became nationallyGuest speaker Bradley Williams, from the AustralianHealth Practitioner Regulation Agency.regulated by a correspondingNational Board: chiropractors,dental practitioners (includingdentists, dental hygienists, dentalprosthetists and dental therapists),medical practitioners, nursesand midwives, optometrists,osteopaths, pharmacists,physiotherapists, podiatrists, andpsychologists,In July 2012, four additionalprofessions joined the nationalscheme: Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander healthpractitioners, Chinese medicinepractitioners (acupuncturists,Chinese herbal medicinepractitioners and Chineseherbal dispensers), medicalradiation practitioners (includingdiagnostic radiographers,radiation therapists and nuclearmedicine technologists) andoccupational therapists.A service charter sets out thevalues that guide the AHPRA,the standards of service you canexpect, and steps you can take ifthese standards are not met.Anyone can notify AHPRAabout the conduct, health orperformance of a practitioner.Concerns should be lodged ona notifications form or contactAHPRA on 1300 419 495.Details about any practitionerin Australia can be looked up onthe website www.ahpra.gov.auIt was a very interestingpresentation, and we thankedBradley for informing us clearlyabout the AHPRA.The support group’s Maymeeting and some later in theyear may have to be convenedby someone other than Jeff orIan, as both may be away atmeetings. Therefore, volunteersare needed please!COMINGEVENTSAPRIL MEETING:The AdelaideProstate CancerSupport Groupmeets on thethird Monday ofeach month in theCommunity Roomof the Fullarton ParkCentre, 411 FullartonRd, Fullarton,starting at 7pm.The April 15 meetingwill feature guestspeaker DavidCronin, who willshow us howFun, Laughter,Humour and Playhave helped manypatients throughillnesses, and howto increase ourenjoyment levelsin life with somehelpful tools andmodels.• For moreinformation and adetailed archive, visitthe Adelaide SupportGroup’s dedicatedwebsite at www.psaadelaide.orgor phone Ian Fiskon 8296 3350, orsend email to info@psaadelaide.orgThe Prostate Cancer Foundation of of Australia freecall hotline is is 1800 1800 22 22 00 00 99 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au

Page 6The Murray BridgeProstate CancerSupport Groupstarted 2013 with itsAnnual General Meeting inFebruary. President TrevorMuirhead welcomed 22members to the meeting(two apologies wereaccepted), which waseventually held at thevenue where the supportgroup has regularly metsince its inception – OurWellbeing Place.The committee hadbeen investigating otheroptions due to a change inownership of the venue,but literally at the lastminute we were madeaware that these roomswill still be available toour meetings for at leastsix more months.During the meeting, newofficers for the supportgroup were elected for2013. They are: president,Ron Nance; treasurer,Richard Parsons; secretary,Max Klenke (who initiallydeclined offer but lateraccepted the positionwww.prostate.org.auMurray Bridge Prostate Cancer Support GroupNew officers signal a freshrenewal for support groupA strong AGM to start the year has members prepared to pitch in and help make 2013 asuccessful year, as Murray Bridge support group secretary Max Klenke reports.before a week had passed).Doris Klenke steppeddown from being in chargeof providing coffee, teaand biscuits, and BronwynLehmann and MargaretParsons were elected totake up this position.Reports were receivedfrom President Trevor(highlighting a good year)and a financial report fromgroup treasurer RichardParsons, which showedour financial position tobe favourable. Richardalso presented a proposedsupport group budget for2013, which was acceptedby the meeting.HELPING OUT WITHINFORMATION STALLSOur group wasrequested to provide helpat the Prostate Cancerinformation stand beingpresented at the MountPleasant Show for its 150thanniversary event on March16. Secretary Max Klenkesaid he would drive to thisevent and would have roomfor three more passengersin his car. To their credit,Ron Nance, Trevor and PatMuirhead indicated theywould attend.Yet again the MurrayBridge support groupwill be represented witha display stall at theKaroonda Farm Fair onApril 5 and 6.SUCCESSFUL SUPPORTFROM BUNNINGSA report detailed thatthe Bunnings barbecueheld on Sunday February17 was, thanks to a veryhot Murray Bridge day, asuccess and we were ableto clear $244 – a fair effortfor the day.The support group’s nextfundraising and awarenessbarbecues are being heldon Saturday July 20, andour favourite, the Fathers’Day barbecue, will be onSaturday August 31.It was nice that Bunningsinvited people whoparticipated in the previousbarbecue to enjoy anevening as guests at aspecial hosted barbecueon February 28, designedPort Pirie Prostate Cancer Support GroupCOMING EVENT• The Murray Bridgesupport groupconducts its monthlymeetings at 7.30pm onthe third Wednesdayof each month.For the immediatefuture, meetings willcontinue to be heldat Our WellbeingPlace, 108 SwanportRd, Murray Bridge.The next meeting willbe on Wednesday,APRIL 17.• For more informationabout the group,phone MurrayBridge supportgroup presidentTrevor Muirhead on8569 1342, or groupsecretary Max Klenkeon 8532 1936.as a reward for those whovolunteer. In response,the Murray Bridge Grouppresented Bunnings witha certificate to express ourthanks.• The Port Pirie Prostate Cancer Support Group conducts monthly meetings (from February to November)at 7.30pm on the first Tuesday of the month at the BHAS Bowling Club, Halley St, Port Pirie. There isusually an excellent guest speaker, and late supper is provided for the 20-to-30 ladies and gentlemenattending each meeting.• For further details, phone group coordinator Allan Manfield on 08 8632 1324.Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia freecall hotline is 1800 22 00 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au

www.prostate.org.au Page 7Prosper Darwin Prostate Cancer Support GroupTrying to lend support tomen who require it mostSome men resist advice and deny the potential harm of prostate cancer when theyare newly diagnosed – and these are men that most urgently need to connect withsupport groups, as Prosper Darwin support group facilitator Keith Williams reports.New members keepcoming to theProsper DarwinProstate Cancer SupportGroup in roundabout ways– sometimes via Darwin’sprostate cancer nurse,often via literature wehave distributed thoughthe community, or as aconsequence of radiobroadcasts where I havementioned the group’sactivites and monthlymeetings.Sometimes, however, aftermen have considered thesupport group for a longtime, they unexpectedlymake initial contact with us.We had this happenrecently, when a man whohad initially overlookedthe contacts leading to ourgroup gave me a call andhada chat.We cannot disclose thedetails of his story, becausewe can’t tell the story ofmedical patients throughCOMING EVENTS• The Prosper Darwin support group meets on thesecond Monday of each month, at the HarbourRoom, Christ Church Cathedral, cnr Smith St andthe Esplanade, Darwin, at 7.30pm.• For further information on the group, pleasephone Keith Williams on 08 8981 4506.this medium without hisconsent – and unfortunately,after an initial positiveconnection with me, he hassince changed his mind anddecided not to have anythingto do with the support group,closing himself off to thisvaluable line of advice andsupport about dealing withprostate cancer treatmentand recovery.I know that there willalways be many men whowon’t accept a supportgroup’s help, but it stillupsets me that they areprepared to sacrifice animportant aspect of qualityliving to help them throughtheir cancer journey.Speaking of Darwin’sprostate cancer nurse, heproved himself as a mostvaluable, comforting contactfor one of our support groupmembers who recently hadrobotic surgery, from whichthe early PSA results wereconcerning.RESEARCH PROJECTSrecently I got involvedas a consumer representativein two research projects,conducted by researchersat Edith Cowan University.The first investigates thebenefits of exercise for thesexual and psycho-socialhealth of men, particularlythose receiving ADT. Thesecond investigates thebenefits of a communitybased exercise program,specifically designed forcancer survivors.More participants are beingsought for both projects, andif any readers are interested,please get in touch with me(ma.pa.willi@bigpond.comor phone 08 8981 4506).Some of the Darwin supportgroup are linking up to theseprojects, and within a fewminutes of my monthlycommunity radio session,I had two phone calls frommen interested in taking partin one of the projects – andalso linking up with theDarwin support group.Finally, we’ve earned abreak and will be travelling,so it is likely that therewon’t be articles in the nextcouple of Prostate Supporternewsletters. I’ll be too busycheering the Magpies on atthe MCG on ANZAC Day.Gawler Prostate Cancer Support Group• THE Gawler Prostate Cancer Support and Awareness Group has been formed to support men in the Gawlerarea diagnosed with Prostate Cancer – and their partners and carers – during the stressful and confusing timeimmediately after diagnosis and after treatment.• Anyone is welcome to attend the Gawler support group meetings, which are held in the conference roomat the Gawler Health Service facility (21 Hutchinson Rd, Gawler East, phone 8521 2000) at 7pm on the firstTuesday of each month. The next meeting is on November 6. More information about the Gawler supportgroup can be obtained from Lynton Carle (phone 8524 4086) or Kylie Fotheringham (phone 8521 2080).Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia freecall hotline is 1800 22 00 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au

www.prostate.org.auAlice Springs Prostate Cancer Support GroupPage 9Discovering the riskfactors with diabitiesDiabetes educator Mary Woolcock provided some timely advice about the disease andits symptoms to the Alice Springs Prostate Cancer Support Group during its most recentmeeting, as group deputy convenor Murray Neck reports.AT the Marchmeeting of the AliceSprings supportgroup, Mary Woolcockfrom Health Living NTwas the guest speaker whoentertained and informedan attentive audience –especially considering alarge number of memberswere out of town andseveral apologies had beenreceived.Diabetes is a disorder thatbegins when blood sugar(glucose) levels becomehigher than normal. Itcurrently affects about 1.5million Australians – andis especially problematicin the Northern Territory,where 1 per cent of the10,000 Aborigines who livein Central Australia dependon dialysis for survival.There are essentially twoexpressions of the disease.Type one, or insulindependent diabetesmellitus, begins as a suddenillness in children or youngadults and is marked bygreat thirst, passing a lotof urine, lethargy, blurredvision, hunger and tinglingin the toes and feet.This is caused by insulinproducingcells of thepancreas being permanentlydamaged, possibly by adisease. Without insulin,most cells cannot survivebecause they are unableto convert the sugar in thebloodstream into energy.The treatment, which isoften urgent, is to injectmanufactured insulin thatwill mimic as closely aspossible the ebb and flowof the hormone releasedby the pancreas gland inresponse to food in thestomach. This reverses thesymptoms and preventsserious complications.It is necessary for thesediabetics to adopt a healthydiet and exercise programand maintain a healthy bodyweight forever.Type two diabetes accountfor about 90 per cent ofthe cases. It can occurin children but usuallybegins in older people andbecomes progressivelymore common with age.Statistics show that certainracial and cultural groupstend to be more at risk withthis form of the diseaseand it also tends to run infamilies.It is caused mainly by a poordiet and lack of exercise.Indeed, obesity is the chiefrisk factor for developingtype two diabetes, as themajority of the patients aregrossly overweight.This causes insulinresistance, so these peopleneed very large amounts ofinsulin to maintain normalblood sugar levels.Other people with type twodiabetes may not have anysymptoms for decades butwhen they do show, they areusually similar but milderthan those of type one.It can become a chronicdisease with seriouscomplications which canprogressively worsen if leftuntreated.High blood sugar levelscause narrowing of bloodvessels and poor bloodcirculation resulting indamage to the heart, brain,legs, eyes, kidneys, nervesand skin.When kidneys malfunction,causing renal failure,connection to a dialysismachine may be necessaryfor survival.Treatment of high bloodpressure and cholesterolcan prevent some of thecomplications of diabetes.Monitoring blood sugarlevels which can be doneat home with a simpleaffordable monitoringdevice, is an essential partof diabetes care.It provides instantinformation that is neededCOMING EVENTSAPRIL MEETING: TheAlice Springs ProstateCancer Support Groupwill meet for its nextmonthly gatheringon Thursday April11, from 6.30pm to8pm at NT MedicareLocal, 5 Skinner St,Alice Springs. Theguest speaker forthis meeting willbe Natasha Murray,Dietician at the AliceSprings Hospital.• For more informationabout the Alice Springssupport group – whichusually meets on thesecond Thursday ofeach month – phonegroup chairman TonyO’Brien on 0438530 366, convenorIan Wagner on 0409534 950, or deputyconvenor Murray Neckon 8952 3550.to make any treatment andadjustments. People withdiabetes benefit greatlyfrom learning about thedisease, understanding howdiet and exercise affectstheir blood sugar levelsand knowing how to avoidcomplications.Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia freecall hotline is 1800 22 00 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au

Page 10www.prostate.org.auMcLaren Districts Prostate Cancer Support GroupGroup members havefascinating tales to tellMoving away from strict health matters can provide unexpected treats during groupmeetings – especially when support group members reveal that they have beeninvolved in extraordinary incidents in their lives, as Collin Griffin reports.The quarterly meetingof the McLaren ValeProstate Cancer Groupheld in February had theprivilege of enjoying a mostunexpected presentation byBryan Hearn.Bryan, the driving forcebehind establishing thissupport group, was previouslya policeman in the UK andwas able to give the groupa fascinating insight to TheGreat Train Robbery of 1963.His authoritative insights stemfrom the fact he guarded andtalked to some of the prisonersduring their trial.Bryan revealed that BruceReynolds did much of therobbery planning, although noone person was in total control,and details were elaboratedon at infrequent discussions.Accomplices were added tothe group when special skillsand inside knowledge wereneeded.The robbers chose to stopa mail train known to carrymoney on a regular basisbetween Glasgow andLondon. They expected tosteal about ₤300,000. Somesay they hadn’t reckoned ona public holiday in Scotlandadding to the size of theirhaul, which was a massive₤2.45 million, mostly in smalldenomination rolls – althoughthis bonanza was ultimatelyto prove unhelpful because ofits bulk. The train consisted of12 carriages carrying about 72postal workers who collected,sorted and distributed mailen route. They threw out andcollected bags of mail as theywent along.From information obtained,the thieves knew that the mailwas in the second carriagebehind the engine, so havingstopped the train by replacinga green light with their own redone powered by a car battery,they uncoupled the train inorder to separate the engineand the front two carriagesfrom the rest of it.They planned to drive theengine with its two carriagesforward to the site they hadchosen to unload the booty.They found they could notdo so themselves, then struckunwilling train driver JackMills on the head with an ironbar. Jack was never able towork again.Postal workers on the trainthought that the stoppagewas legitimate and continuedtheir work while the robbershanded 121 bags down anembankment and loaded themonto waiting vehicles.They took the money toa deserted farmhouse, asarranged by John Wheater,who was a crooked solicitor.They stayed here for two days,divided the spoils into 17 evenCOMING EVENTMAY MEETING• The McLaren DistrictsProstate Cancer SupportGroup now conducts itsmeetings on a quarterlybasis, with the nextmeeting scheduled forMAY 2013.• For further information,phone support grouppresident Bryan Hearnon 8323 7924. Themeetings start at 7pmand are conductedin the administrationbuilding at the rear of theMcLaren Vale & DistrictsWar Memorial Hospital,Aldersey St, McLarenVale.parts, then went their variousways.By this time a police searchwas well under way, includingthe Flying Squad and famousdetective Jack Slipper.A tip from a local farmerled police to the abandonedfarmhouse, which hadunexpectedly been cleaned,although fingerprints werefound on a Monopoly boardand tomato sauce bottle.These prints led to the arrestof several gang memberswhen notes were foundstashed between the inner andouter walls of their caravaninvolved in an accident. Tipoffs and good police work ledto other arrests, and by January1964, 12 of the 15 robbers hadbeen arrested, tried and foundguilty. The three remainingrobbers were caught and jailedwithin five years of the holdup.The men were sentenced toprison for up to 30 years, butthe drama did not end there.Charles Wilson and RonaldBiggs escaped from prison inless than two years. Wilsonwas recaptured in Canada in1968, but Biggs became theUK’s most famous fugitive byevading capture for 35 years.He finally flew back to theUK from Brazil, where hewas hiding in 2001, and gavehimself up to the authorities.In the meantime he had livedin Adelaide, Melbourne andBarbados, as well as Brazil.On his return to the UK, hewas jailed, but released due topoor health in August 2009.Bryan said that those who hadrobbed the train were crooksthat could not go straight ifthey tried. Bruce Reynolds,who recently died, said aftera fellow robber’s funeral: “Wehated going straight. We werecriminals more for the hell ofit than for the rewards. It washard for us when we quit. Younever stop missing the buzz.”Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia freecall hotline is 1800 22 00 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au

www.prostate.org.au Page 11City of Onkaparinga Prostate Cancer Support GroupCommunity input provides aspark to our support groupsThe input of people from the local comminty – guests and prostatecancer patients – adds great potency to support group meetings,as Onkaparinga support group chairman John Shields reports.For the Marchmeeting of the City ofOnkaparinga ProstateCancer Support Group, ourchairman welcomed thepresence in the audience ofCarol Tasker, a registerednurse who works with RDNSMorphett Vale and had beenattending Phyllis Shields(wife of group chairman JohnShields) for some time afterher appendix operation.During one of her visits tothe Shields’ house, Carolspoke of her interest in theaspect of prostate cancerbeing so important to men’shealth, and said that shewould like to attend one ofour meetings. Beyond this,Carol has also volunteeredto be guest speaker at ournext meeting on April 3.Carol is also interestedin further education as aProstate Cancer Nurse, and Iwould like to wholeheartedlysupport Carol in her desire topursue this very desireableaspect of her career, and willask to have Carol invited tothe next Central AustraliaChapter Council meeting onWednesday June 5 to discussthis further.At the Onkaparinga group’sMarch meeting, an apologywas received from LaurenWood, Prostate CancerSpecialist Nurse RAH, whounfortunately was unableto attend due to anothercommitment. Lauren hasindicated that she will attendanother of the support groupmeetings in due course.Before watching a DVDabout advances in AdvancedProstate Cancer treatment,members participated in around robin discussion abouttheir recent prostate healthexperiences since the grouplast met. It’s good to knowthat members are quite happyto talk in detail about theeffect that illness is, or hasbeen, having on their lives.During this discussion,members were particularlyinterested in getting anupdate on Peter Kiley, whohas been a stalwart of ourgroup for nearly 10 years.Peter is someone who peoplealways look up to as a strongpersonality, an excellentcharacter and a wonderfulexample to anyone who isgoing through an unrelentingillness like advanced prostatecancer. What’s more, weunderstand that his wifeChristine is a tower of strengthin offering Peter support.Another of the supportgroup’s original members,Brian Foreman, gave us adetailed report of his activitiesover the past month and howmuch travel it involves. Brianis very competent in hiswoodwork – evident by theuseful gong and gavel thathe presented to our supportgroup many years ago.Still, it would be nice ifBrian didn’t have to travelall the way to St Paul’sCollege, Gilles Plains, toapply woodworking skills.Brian and Rhonda are copingwell with his prostate cancertreatment progress and it isgood to see them, like othercouples, together at eachmeeting to give their supportto new members and visitors.Whyalla Prostate Cancer Support GroupCOMING EVENTAPRIL MEETING:The OnkaparingaSupport Group’snext meeting will beheld in the NoarlungaCommunity Hospital,Alexander KellyDrive, Noarlunga, onWednesday April 3 at6.30pm. Guest speakerwill be local registerednurse Carol Tasker.• For more informationabout the group and itsactivities, visit the Cityof Onkaparinga SupportGroup’s website atwww.pcsog.org, orphone John Shields on8382 6671, or MalcolmEllis on 8326 5588.• Special thanks go toour support group’sgenerous sponsors:Southern PrimaryHealth MorphettVale, Port Noarlunga-Christies BeachRSL Sub Branch,The Original OpenMarket and The City ofOnkaparinga Council.• The Whyalla Prostate Cancer Support Group meets at 7.30pm on the first Tuesday of each month, inRoom 69 of the University of SA campus, Nicolson Ave, Whyalla Norrie.• Contact Terry O’Brien (08 8645 1310) or Stan Oates (08 8644 0591) for more details. Everybody iswelcome to attend these meetings – indeed, the wives and partners of group members are an integral partof this group, because any cancer affects the whole family.Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia freecall hotline is 1800 22 00 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au

Page 12www.prostate.org.auPUSHING prostate cancer awareness in the communityAwareness fuels fundraisingPictured RIGHT isPCFA South AustraliaBoard Member DavidBaker, (of Baker YoungStockbrokers) with PCFASouth Australia andNorthern Territory StateManager Karyn Foster,and PCFA NationalChairman David Sandoereceiving a generousfundraising cheque fromDave Slovinec of theAssociation of FinancialAdvisors.David Baker spoke tomembers of the AFA atthe Gen-Xt Road Showevent in Adelaide duringJanuary. A fantastic sumof $2400 was collectedat this event for prostatecancer research,awareness and supportinitiatives.Our thanks go to DavidBaker for giving histime to make a greatpresentation and furtherthe prostate cancerawareness campaign.At David’s suggestionthe concept of PCFAspeakers for AFA eventswas taken up across thecountry – and now PCFAspeakers are addressingAFA groups state bystate.As a result of this SouthAustralian initiative,AFA members haveraised significant fundsnationally, and thesewill be announced at alater date. Suffice it tosay we wish to thank theAFA Foundation for itsongoing support of PCFA.FEELING ON TOP OF THE WORLD:Father-and-son team John and SimonBignold have now reached the halfwaypoint in their epic State 8 Adventure,in which they aim to scale the summitof the highest peak in each Australianstate and territory within nine months.They recently completed another twomountains – Mt Kosciuszko in NSWand Mt Bimberi in the ACT (picturedleft) – and have the remaining trekkingdates locked in: Mt Ossa in Tasmaniaon April 9 and 10; Mt Zeil in NT on May15; Mt Woodroffe in SA on May 18 andMt Bartle Frere in Qld on June 21.Simon is now starting to houndpeople for donations, for PCFA andOvarian Cancer Australia, and wouldappreciate any help by directinginterested donors to his emailaddress: simon.bignold@chemmart.com.auProstate Cancer Foundation of Australia freecall hotline is 1800 22 00 99or visit the website www.prostate.org.au