Self help Club Notes...

2pm.Arthritis

The next meeting of the Warragul Arthritis Self Help Group will be held on Thursday, February 3 at Fairview Village Community Centre at

The guest for the meeting will be a singer and entertainer.

The warm water exercise classes resumed on Tuesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 20.

The chair-based activities resumed on Monday, January 17.

The warm water exercise class is held in the hydrotherapy pool at the Warragul Leisure Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Tuesday class is held at 2pm to 2.30pm. The Thursday morning class is held at 10am to 10.30am.

The chair-based exercise class is held on Mondays at the Fairview Village Community Centre at 10am.

No classes are held on public holidays. Members are asked to fill in their medical forms if participating in any of the classes by the end of January. They can be given to either co-ordinator Annette Gallagher or Ray Brydon. New members are welcome.

For any inquiries contact Maree Wallace on 0427 046805.

Prostate Support

A prostate cancer support group is to be formed in Baw Baw Shire.

The initial meeting will be held at The Downtowner, Warragul, on Wednesday, March 9, with lunch from 1pm ahead of a 2pm meeting.

Lynton Blackwell, who describes himself as a 10-year survivor of the disease, said encouragement for establishing the support group had come from similar groups, West Gippsland Hospital and Gippsland Regional Cancer Services.

There has been nothing for people between the Latrobe Valley and Melbourne, he said.

Mr Blackwell said it also was important for partners and carers to be involved and encouraged them to attend the meeting at The Downtowner.

Prostate cancer impacts all members of the family, he pointed out.

Mr Blackwell said the support groups enabled those that had the disease and their family members affected as a result to speak among others because they aren’t alone although their journeys may have been different.

Mr Blackwell said many more men than was generally realised suffered the disease and estimated there were as many as one in six men could be affected in their lifetimes.

And he was keen to stress it was “not just an old man’s problem”.

“People in their 40s are dying from it”. Mr Blackwell said that within his own family he had three brothers that were also survivors and two nephews currently undergoing treatment.

The need to have regular blood tests is crucial.

I didn’t have any symptoms but was only diagnosed after having a test, Mr Blackwell said.

People interested in attending the meeting on March 9 can contact Mr Blackwell on 0419 582