Annual report 2009-2010

Time for change

Breast Cancer Action Group Victoria is considering its future. Co-Chairs, Pamela Williams and Nicola Bruce together with the committee, have worked towards collating people’s ideas in order to plan for the future.

We thank our committee for all their hard work. Without their constant support we cannot maintain a voice on breast cancer issues for Victorian women. Di Lewis has managed the bulk of the work for the newsletter, the management of the website and the collation of the questionnaire. Heather Beanland has continued as our on-going and excellent treasurer. Virginia Roger has been first-rate as our General Secretary and the minder of the membership list. Mary Macheras-Magias provided hard work and consumer leadership with her contribution towards the training weekends of consumers participating with cancer research. Avis McPhee has remained our contact with the research community, her contribution towards BCAG knowledge keeps us alerted and grounded in what is happening with cancer research.

In this year we have confirmed our links to groups such as the Victorian Co-operative Oncology Group, BreastScreen Victoria, Young Action on Breast Cancer (YABC) and BreaCan also our connection to BCAG NSW with whom we continue to share materials for the newsletters. Next year we intend to continue and strengthen these ties. We want to thank Cancer Voices Victoria, the Cancer Council of Victoria and the Health Issues Centre for including us in their work and action. Importantly, we thank the Primary Health Branch of the Department of Human Services for their ongoing financial support.

Of great moment for us as a group was the death of Sue Lockwood AM. Sue attended our AGM just over a week before she died. Sue had been our Chair and inspiration for many years and maintained her interest in BCAG issues until the end. We miss her.

Some other areas to report on from this year are:

Newsletters

The Newsletter continues to be a considerable responsibility. The Co-Chairs and Di Lewis oversee its production. The newsletter is a labour of love and takes a lot of work and effort, especially by Di who is responsible for the setting up of the newsletter for printing.  In this we thank Di for her patience whilst Pam and Nicola have been away. We also thank members and others who have contributed articles or opinions for the newsletter. We continue to distribute the newsletter by post but encourage our members to receive it via email to curtail some of the costs in circulating a newsletter.

This year we have trialled, and we think successfully, a new format of newsletter delivery. We have reduced the number of newsletter issues to three each year but have commenced an interim e-news that comes out about a month before the newsletter.

Web-site

Congratulations again to Di Lewis who continues to manage the website. The finished product is a fantastic resource for members.

Radiotherapy services

We continue our important work with Cancer Voices Victoria to advocate for women to be fully informed in a variety of ways but in particular about their choices concerning private or public radiotherapy. The pilot study at the Western Hospital is now complete. A contract has been signed to continue to provide radiotherapy places to people who cannot afford private radiotherapy and who cannot travel into the city. We understand that it is now planned for the arrangement to be rolled out to other centres around the State.

BreaCan

We continue our close relationship with BreaCan and Women’s Health Victoria. We thank BreaCan for their support throughout the year and offer them our assistance in any way we can manage.

BreastScreen

Pam continues to be the Co-Chair of the BreastScreen Consumer Advisory Committee representing BCAG. She is also on the Board of BreastScreen. Congratulations Pam. Pam has written a report in the newsletter about the evaluation from the previous.

Financial reporting

Christopher Falkingham FCA, FCPA of Balance Corp. Propriety Ltd. is now our auditor. We give our sincere thanks to Christopher for continuing this work pro bono.

Time for change

We, the committee have been discussing the future of BCAG for some time now. BCNA takes the lion’s share of advocacy work on issues that concern women Australia wide, although we can help with feedback about issues such as up-front payment for prostheses. BreaCan has been working hard conducting forums with women from around the State – gathering their opinions – another job BCAG used to do. Some of the advocacy issues we have been a part of are resolving (such as the radiotherapy). We consider that the newsletter still receives some support.

Yet we work mostly with other organisations such as Cancer Voices Victoria (CVV) and Health Issues Centre. We, the committee, are in full agreement to recommend that a working group be formed with CVV with the intention of merging the two organisations. We have developed a Terms of Reference for the working group developed jointly between CVV and BCAGV It is the intention that the essence of BCAGV is not lost but maintained. The two organisations intend to join and work side by side rather than as a single entity. We shall be combined with a new name that includes us both.

We ask you for your assistance, feedback and most importantly your support in our plans for the future of BCAGV.

First Post

Happy to be here.