Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the great pleasure of joining the Rotary Club of Gosford City for their men's health breakfast to raise funds in support of prostate cancer research. The special guest speaker at this event was the Hon. Jim Lloyd, a former member for Robertson and minister in the Howard government, who now serves as the national support group executive for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Jim really spoke from the heart. He shared his personal journey with cancer and shared the importance of testing to ensure early detection and treatment. As many of my colleagues would know, Jim is quite pivotal in his support of the Big Aussie Barbie in Parliament House in September every year. He's been a fierce advocate for the specialist nursing program which assists regional hospitals in employing more prostate cancer nurses. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among men, taking too many of our brothers, fathers, grandfathers and other loved ones far too soon. The Prostate Cancer Foundation recommends that men at the average risk of developing the cancer undergo PSA testing every two years from ages 50 to 69 and that men with a family history be tested every two years, usually from age 40. I want to thank Jim for his tireless advocacy in this space and also to thank David Bacon, the President of the Rotary Club of Gosford City, who was another tremendous advocate and helped coordinate the breakfast. I thank him for his dedicated volunteering for so many important groups on the Central Coast and his recognition of this incredibly important issue.