below the belt issue winter

8/7/2019 Below the belt issue WINTER

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Welcome to

Below the Belt

Helpline ~ 1300 881 826 or4968 9455

22 - 28 Turton RoadWaratah West NSW 2298(Old Waratah Post Office)

Local peopleSaving

Local lives

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

HOUSE AUCTION13th November

Tune in to the2HD Radio Appeal

6am - 6pm13th November

Log on towww.hpca.org.auTo stay up to datewith HPCA events

The HPCA Counselling Service is funded by:

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SPRING EDITION

Spring Edition

2HD Radio Appeal 2

Become a VIP 2

HPCA Ambassador -Michael Hagan

3

Where has the Winnebeen?

3

Professor JimsColumn

4

Xstrata Wollombi WildRide

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THE GIFT HOUSE

L: Newcastle Panthers; R: Our Patron Joel Fitzgibbon, Mayor John Tate, MP Jodi McKay, Jim Denham, Mark Fitzgibbon and Leigh Maughan

McDonald Jones Homes and McCloy Groups Northlakes Estate have given us anincredible gift: an award winning 4 bedroom family home by McDonald Jones Homes,set in the new Northlakes Estate community.

The house was launched earlier this month, and will be auctioned by Robinson Propertyon Saturday 13th November.

Money raised from this fundraiser will continue HPCAs mission: to advocate awarenessof prostate cancers serious threat, and to encourage the community to support menshealth.

The highest bidder will also receive a fabulous trip for two to Disneyland gifted byHunter Travel Groups Travelworld agencies.

Continued pg 2...

e recently held our Inaugural Autumn Ball which was a great success.


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Radio Appeal

Are you interested in helping a worthwhile cause?HPCA is always looking for people, with or withoutexperience with prostate cancer who are interested incontributing to our organisation and joining the HPCAteam.

Our volunteers are a very important part of HPCA,filling a variety of essential roles, including providingpersonal experiences and information within

workplace presentations, having a presence in the community at local festivals and events,fundraising on behalf of HPCA and assisting with awareness campaigns and events.

If you are interested in joining our team, we would love to hear form you! Please contact theCentre on 4968 9455 or [email protected]

Spring Edition Page 2

Radio 2HD are very giving of theirgenerosity by hosting a 12 hourfundraiser from 6.00am to 6.00pmdirect from the Gift House on our SuperAuction Day.

The day will be hosted by 2HDpersonalities and guest broadcasterswho will bring to air prominent peoplefrom our local area and beyond.

The Hunter Prostate Cancer Alliance Radio Appealwill feature guests including media super stars,Knights big man Ben Cross himself a charityfundraiser for the cause and other prominentKnights players, HPCA Ambassador nice guy andformer Knights winning coach and captain MichaelHagan.

Local mayors including Greg Piper MP, Clr JohnTate, Maitland leading citizen Peter Blackmore andmany other prominent people will also beinterviewed during the appeal.

We will be asking the public to come to the excitingauction day and donate funds toward this lifesavingcause. Radio listeners will also have the opportunityto pledge money to support our community appealvia a call in service and be mentioned on air if timeallows.

The Auction of this superb Gift Home and Landpackage will be broadcast live to air which in itself will be most exciting.

Become a Volunteer

THE GIFT HOUSE ContinuedYou may be awarethat we are no longerselling Art Uniontickets. After initiala c t i v i t y w h i c hproduced limited

results, HPCA consultedwith our donors andsought legal andfinancial advice.

It was decided that amuch lower risk option was to sell the houseat Auction where the return would be fairlycertain. There have been many Art Unionsthat have failed and financially crippledcharities, and we did not want to risk thatprospect.

We are confident that with theassistance of Robinsons Property, theauction is going to be a huge success.We invite you to join us for this very memorable event.

When: Saturday 13th November, 2010

Time: 12 middayWhere : Cnr Blackwood Circuit andConstitution Dr, Northlakes Estate,Cameron Park. Upon entry to theEstate, follow the directional signs tothe house.

L: Grahame Cook at a workplace presentationR: Jo Heard at a fundraising/awareness BBQ

HPCA Chairman Nick Sovechles


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In August this year, former Knights coach MichaelHagan, revealed some bad news: a 14-monthbattle with prostate cancer. Despite the 46 yearolds illness, Michael chose to make his conditionpublic at a press conference at the Hunter

Prostate Cancer Centre as an Ambassador forHPCA.

Because Michael has a strong family history of prostate cancer, he has had regular PSA testssince 40 years of age. Hagans father died fromprostate cancer and two older brothers haverecently been successfully treated for the disease.

"I was always aware I was 12, 13 times more likelyto be diagnosed with it because of my familyhistory," he said.

Because Michael had regular PSA tests from an early age, the cancer was detected in its earlystages and he had a number of treatment options available, which as a result has been much moreeffective. He chose the relatively new treatment of Brachytherapy.

There is a need for men to have their PSA tested from age 50 under normal circumstances, but Iwant to emphasise the need for young men with a family history to commence this process fromage 40, said Hagan.

HPCA is very grateful for Michael Hagans bravery in revealing his battle with prostate cancer tohelp get the early detection message out there. Michaels announcement will save lives.

Where has the Winne been?The HPCA Winnebago, gifted bythe Newcastle PermanentBuilding Society has travelled todestinations near and far in thelast few months, making its wayaround the Hunter Valley in thename of prostate cancerawareness.

The Winne has recently beenout to Muswellbrook forworkplace presentations atHitachi, and establishing newrelationships with BrookeMedical Centre.

Prostate Cancer Awarenessmonth, in particular was a verybusy month for our Mobile

Information Unit, making its way out to Wollombi for the Wild Ride, spreading prostate cancer

awareness at Singleton for the Hunter Valley Home and Leisure Show, and Mattara Festival. We alsoheaded out to Eleebana and Warners Bay for community group presentations, held fundraisingBBQs at Bunnings and Macs Timber and Hardware, cruised around the new Northlakes Estate andhad regular appearances at the Adamstown markets. HPCA is currently working on new partnershipsdeeper into the Valley.


Meet HPCAs newest Ambassador, Michael Hagan

Photo: Newcastle Permanent Building Society


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Jims Column

Its official: men in the Hunter are more

aware of prostate cancer and are

getting it diagnosed earlier. There has

been plenty of good news for the HPCA

and for men in the Hunter in the lastcouple of months:

Firstly, recently published data from the

NSW Cancer Registry show that for the

second year in a row (i.e. 2007 and 2008)

the Hunter topped the State for the

detection of new cases of prostate

cancer. In addition, these cancers are

being found at an earlier stage. This is a

far cry from just 3 years earlier, when

the Hunter had the lowest detection

rates in the State and had the most

advanced cancers that were diagnosed.

The most important reason for this

major turnaround, of course, was the

HPCAs Little Prick campaign.

Secondly, research conducted by the

Hunter Valley Research Foundation

answered three important questions for

our pioneering prostate cancercounselling service. Firstly, they found

out about the types of people who are

likely to use the service. Secondly,

they found out that the information that

we had anticipated that people would

want to receive, was accurate. Thirdly,

they found out that people feel better as

a result of using the service.

Congratulations to Jennifer and Aaron

for getting it right! My warm thanks goto the Maitland Cancer appeal. Their

generous grant to the Prostate Cancer

Trials Group enabled us to contract

Claire Hogue of the Hunter Valley

Research Foundation to undertake the

research needed. My thanks to Claire

too, for doing such a nice job of it.

Thirdly, Lancet Oncology recently

reported that the PSA screening researchprogram for the detection of early

prostate cancer that was conducted in

the Gothenburg region of Sweden, had

almost halved the death rate due to

prostate cancer in that region over a 14

year period. Furthermore

the researchers found that the reduction

in prostate cancer deaths was greater

than the reduction in breast and bowel

cancer deaths in top class co-ordinatedscreening programs around the world. I

am forced to wonder how much longer

we need to listen to armchair experts

in Australia telling us that PSA testing

does more harm than good.

In summary, we are now able to say

that HPCA is doing well with its first two

goals: promoting awareness and

encouraging early diagnosis. Now it

must patiently pursue its third goal

which is to stimulate a massive reduction

in the prostate cancer death rate in the

Hunter region through earlier and more

effective treatment. The recent NSW

Cancer Registry data suggest that this is

now on the way. However there is no

room for complacency. In Central and

Southern Sydney the prostate cancer

death rate has fallen from 43.6 per

100,000 men in 1990 to 24.8 in 2008 (areduction of 43%). In the Hunter our

death rate has fallen from 43.4 per

100,000 to 33.4 (a reduction of only

23%).


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Xstrata

Despite the poor weather, entries

for the 2010 Xstrata WollombiWild Ride rose by 60%! Almost500 competitors turned up on thefathers Day weekend this year fora wild and muddy ride to raiseawareness and funds for prostatecancer.

Bike riders competed in one of the three categories: 15km, 30km and60km before putting their feet up at the Wollombi Tavern for thepresentation, a BBQ and entertainment by fitROK.

The Mongrels Bike Club pitched in to put some shine backinto the muddy bikes after the ride which was also a greatfundraiser for HPCA. Thank you Paul Humphreys and H-Eventsfor another great event.

Professor Jim Denham - Director of Prostate Cancer Trials Group.

The HPCA newsletteris printed fromequipment and supplieskindly donated by

A bigthanksto majorsponsorXstrataCoal.

For every purchase made atThe Good Guys Warners Bay

a percentage of the purchase isdonated to charities like HPCA.

Put a token from your purchase inthe HPCA token box to support

men in the Hunter.

below the belt issue winter

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