Attendance: Nooka threatened to sue this august publication for defamation before informing us that the reason for counting 20 members present last week rather than 21 was that, ‘like most accountants, I have trouble counting above 20.’ Given that we were in the presence of a prostate nurse, this would have been the week for Nooka to count to 21 without it being considered entirely inappropriate.
Nooka then announced ’20 plus a few more’ members in attendance, had a stab at 24 as the exact number, and then confidently and correctly declared 23 members in attendance. Well done, Nooka. We had one guest, our guest speaker, Bridget Hill.
Meal: Corned beef.
Seargent Jon introduced the President to start the meeting. Matt thanked Gerald and Bono for supporting the Neil Porter Legacy in Terang last week. He also asked members to rsvp to the Ten Pin Bowling Night on the 19th of September in the Stack App. In reports;
· Paul advised us that that annual membership invoices have now gone out to members.
· Gerald is looking at possibly the 9th of October for our vocational visit to The Union dairy.
· Hutto announced a fundraising viewing of the film ‘A horse called Winx’ proposed for Thursday October 10th. He also suggested a possible lunch ‘running into the film night’. Nobody organises a lunch that runs into the evening better than Hutto.
· Glenn asked members to rsvp on the Stack App for the rotating dinner on Saturday October 26th. Bore is on holidays and will return once Glenn has the dinner organised.
· Lynchie reports that he recently suffered severe back pain before a flight and Bore came to the rescue, providing Peter with pain relief and allowing him to catch the flight. Well done Bore.
Bob then introduced our guest speker, Bridget Hill. Bridget is a prostate cancer specialist nurse working at the South West Cancer Care Centre. Her role is funded by the prostate cancer foundation. Bridget noted that prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer, with one in four men diagnosed with the disease at some point in their lives.
Bridget advised that diagnosis is initially through a PSA blood test rather than a digital rectal exam, causing some members to re-evaluate the nature or their personal relationship with their doctor. Men over 50, men over 40 with a family history of prostate cancer, and men with symptoms should talk to their GP about taking a PSA test. A man’s PSA can be raised for a variety of reasons and so a positive PSA test is followed by a MRI scan and possibly a biopsy if indicated. Treatment options include surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and active surveillance.
Bridget spoke about the mental health implications of a prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer. Continence and erectile dysfunction were often difficult for men to deal with and talk about with others.
Bridget also noted that the prostate cancer survival rates in South West Victoria were well below the national average. Early diagnosis is important, so talk to your GP about the PSA test if you fall into an at-risk category which, spoiler alert, we all do.
Bridget advised that eating well and frequent exercise reduced the risk of prostate cancer, but she had no practical preventive advice that could be implemented by members.
We thank Bridget for taking the time to talk to us about this important issues and thank her for the wonderful work she does in this space. Members who have concerns or questions can contact Bridget for advice or consult the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia website (www.pcfa.org.au).
Matt and Jon drew the barrel and Lindsay Bullivant took home the coveted free meal voucher. As gambling winnings, Lindsay does not even have to declare it as payment in-kind and pay fringe benefits tax on it, so a double bonus there.
