Download - 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
4
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.
Spring Edition Page 3
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%).
Spring Edition Page 4
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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.