Email address change   We are switching to mobile broadband for greater flexibility.  Unfortunately Bigpond cannot transfer the existing address. Our new address from March 14 will be vlhrf@bigpond.com   Please change your address book!

Autumn News

Welcome to Andrew Duncan who has joined us to fill a needed role as office manager. Andrew has been involved with Australian Research Council and similar bodies in the past, and will we hope be expanding his role into Grants Management in the near future.

Honorary Executive Officer Graham Fisher will be away in Europe visiting daughter and grandchildren April 24 to July 10th.  He will be accessing email most of the time. Deputy EO Jan Pedersen is will take messages left on the Foundation mobile  0418932798, in the evenings as she is busy during office hours.  Andrew Duncan 0403442550 will manage the post and the office.

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School Volunteers

Have taken on the job of photographing Board members for the web site.  The photos presently on display are at best a mixed bag, and we are very grateful to photography teacher Peter Good and his pupils for sharing their know-how, time and trouble.

Lotterywest supported

Organised by Promotions team leader Margaret Mardon and with funding support from Lotterywest the foundation is completing a presentation DVD that will assist volunteers presenting the Foundation’s aims to community members.  This is integrated with a renewed presentation of web site, email, letterhead and other publications.   We are very grateful that lotterywest has made this possible.

Volunteers welcomed

We are always open to new helpers. No jobs are “Owned”  We find it easier to work in task-oriented groups so that new ideas flow and individuals feel free to do what they really want to do.  It means no-one is tied down or under obligation but everything gets done.   Leave a message on 0418932798.

New breast cancer project: 

With their consent, the magnificent donation of $10,000 by Bill and Pat Catalano has been allocated to preparation for research into the wellbeing of breast cancer survivors in the South West.  This major project promises to give carers the tools to predict factors putting a survivor’s well-being at risk so that preventative action can head off the problem.    

This will involve interviewing all South West women who have survived breast cancer over the past five years    The interviews will be done mostly over the phone by a team of professionals and information immediately de-identified to preserve participants anonymity.  The potential benefits of the work for the South West are enormous so we do hope every single survivor will agree to participate.

South West Suicide Research

Led by Professor Brian English and funded by community donation through Chef’s Long Table Lunch and a major Lotterywest grant.  This project is now in the final stages of data collection.   The work has been intensifying over the year

Ad all data should be in by the end of April, Analysis complete by the end of May

And a draft final report issued during June.

The research will add vital perspective through a comprehensive overview of preventative and therapeutic services across the South West viewed in the light of the Federal Government’s “LiFE Framework”.

The Framework sets out service areas to be covered in a strategic design. 

Services will be examined for each area and gaps and other potential for improvement will be identified in this region systematically for the first time.