Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the great privileges of being a member of parliament is meeting the extraordinary people who live in our communities. Last Thursday I was able to meet many extraordinary and generous people. February is Ovarian Cancer Month and is held to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, how many women are affected by the disease each year, the impact it has on these women and their families, the risk factors for ovarian cancer, and its diagnosis and treatment. I was very pleased to host a Morning Teal to raise awareness and funds to support women and their families affected by ovarian cancer.

The Morning Teal was an initiative of the former member for Shortland, Jill Hall, and I am so very pleased to continue this annual tradition. Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth most common cause of cancer affecting women in Australia. In 2013, 1,394 new cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed in Australian women. I was very pleased that there was a great show of support at the Morning Teal from our local community at the Valentine Bowling Club. Over 170 people attended and we were able to raise nearly 2½ thousand dollars for this important cause. We heard from Anne Mellon, who is a clinical nurse consultant at the Hunter New England Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, and Cath Adams, the senior clinical psychologist at the centre. I want to sincerely thank them for not only the important work they do but also their very thoughtful contributions. They were so very insightful and helpful in understanding what women and their families experience. The key message from Anne and Cath was for women to be informed about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and, if they are concerned or worried, to see their GP immediately. Early detection is fundamentally important and can help to increase the survival rate. It was very important that we were able to distribute pamphlets and other material highlighting the symptoms and urge people who had any concerns to start keeping a diary and make an appointment with their GP as soon as possible.

I also want to pay a special tribute to and acknowledge the contribution of my constituent, Carolyn Bear, who works so hard fundraising for ovarian cancer. Carolyn is truly an inspiration. She tragically lost her daughter, Kylie, who passed away from ovarian cancer when she was just 34. Kylie was misdiagnosed in the early stages of the illness and Carolyn and her husband, Rob, have had to endure the pain of losing their daughter at such a young age. Since Kylie's passing, Carolyn, Rob and their family have worked tirelessly to raise funds for research and awareness of ovarian cancer. Carolyn creates fantastic jewellery for the fundraising and she and her family have raised over $140,000 for ovarian cancer research. That is a truly stupendous achievement. This is a really special tribute to Kylie, and on behalf of the Shortland community I thank Carolyn and her family and friends for their hard work and dedication to this very worthwhile cause. Our local community, and indeed our country, benefits so much from generous and selfless people such as Carolyn.

I also want to recognise and thank businesses who supported the morning tea: FlyPelican; Radisson Blu Plaza; Brownsugar Restaurant; Kaydee's Beauty Boutique; Verve for Life, Warners Bay; Baldwin's Confectionary; Warners Bay Hotel; and Belmont Speciality Cakes. The first prize in the raffle was two return flights to Sydney with FlyPelican and a one-night stay at the Radisson.    The raffle was a great success because of the fantastic prizes donated and the generosity of the people of Shortland. That we were able to raise such a significant amount of money in just one morning was a great effort.    I also want to acknowledge and thank the Sing Australia Belmont Choir for keeping everyone entertained during the morning. Their contribution was very much appreciated by all who attended.

To conclude, the Morning Teal was a very special morning. There was a great sense of community and generosity, and I look forward to continuing to host the Morning Teals in the future. I end by thanking Helene O'Neill for being the master of ceremonies and bringing such a positive approach to what is a very difficult subject. I also thank all my staff for their great efforts—in particular Melanie Field, who did such a great job of organising such an important and worthwhile event.