A Prostate Cancer Awareness Presentation, The Alex Rotary Community Corp Needs List and Save the Date for our President Elect Ann's Induction....

 From the Pen of the President.....

It is a relief and wholesome soul food to be involved with people who are honest, have no hidden agendas and who care about society and the environment. News broadcasts and the media are littered with reports of dishonesty, corruption, crime and selfish interests. Involvement with Rotary helps me to retain faith in mankind and in what can be done to help make ours a better world and to help people in the need. Thank you to all our members for your contribution.

Apropos contributions: Charles Mphephu from the Alexandra Rotary Community Corp will be attending this week's Friday meeting and if anyone would like to contribute to their wish list, please would you bring along your donations.

Costa Qually

President

Tailpiece

I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot, together we can do great things!

(Mother Teresa)

Last Friday.... 

.... our guest speaker was the CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Andrew Oberholzer.

At the time of the meeting the editor of this newsletter was at the wheel of her vehicle, motoring down to Verlorenkloof, which is situated on the Crocodile River on the Eastern escarpment of Mpumalanga.

Her co-pilot Ann Hope Bailie was however able to log into the meeting via Zoom on her mobile, so at least we were able to listen to a most informative and enlightening talk.

Pathological conditions of the prostate and in particular prostate cancer are rarely spoken about in public forums and it is health advocates such as Andrew that have made it their life mission to create awareness not only amongst men, but also their affected families.

The prostrate gland is located at the origin of the urethra, the tube that carries the urine out of the body. It is roughly the size of a large walnut.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in South Africa

Risk factors are:

•              Age - the risk of getting prostate cancer increases with age

•              Family History - the risk of getting prostate cancer increases significantly if an immediate relative (a brother or father) has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and if a man’s mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

•              Race - Black African men are 60% more likely than white males to get prostate cancer and more than twice as likely to die from the disease.

 

Men who have at least 21 ejaculations per month have a 20% reduced risk of prostate cancer.

 

There are usually no symptoms in the early stages of the disease which is why screening is so important.

If detected in the early stages the cancer is curable, once it has spread (metastasized), the cancer is no longer curable, and treatment is aimed at slowing disease progression.

 

What Screening Tests should be done to screen for prostate cancer?

The Prostate Specific Antigen Test (PSA)

The PSA test is a blood test that gives an indication of whether something is wrong with your prostate. If your PSA result comes back high it could be cancer or it could just be an infection. The PSA test is not 100% accurate which is why it is preferable to also have a digital rectal exam.

Digital Rectal Examination (DRE).

This is a simple test that takes less than 30 seconds for a doctor to perform. The examining doctor inserts a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum so that they can feel the prostate for any abnormal lumps, hardening or other signs of prostate cancer.

September has been declared Prostate Cancer Awareness month.

 This Friday....

....We are privileged to welcome another renowned guest speaker to address us.

Richard Wadley: mini-biography, January 2022

 Richard is a retired geologist, mineral economist and mining company executive who has lived with his wife Lyn (an archaeology professor at Wits University) on a small game farm on the scenic Waterberg plateau in Limpopo Province since 2005. Born in London in 1947 to parents on long leave from colonial India, Richard moved with his family to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1953 and was educated there, before completing his degrees in South Africa. He became involved in mineral exploration and lived with his family for several years in a caravan or remote rustic homes in Namibia and the Cape Karoo before eventually relocating to Gauteng.

The couple took early retirement from their paid careers 17 years ago to enable them to move to the Waterberg, where they had invested in a small property. Since doing so, Richard has been involved with several local community organisations, including serving as chair of the Waterberg Nature Conservancy and of the board of the Waterberg Academy, a small non-profit independent school. He has also been active in a municipal community forum, the local fire protection association and an agricultural union, and recently joined the board of the Lapalala Wilderness School, a non-profit institution focusing on environmental education for rural school children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In 2005, Richard began to gather material for his growing interest in the history of the Waterberg region, much of which had never been formally or accurately compiled.  Thirteen years later, this work culminated in a book, Waterberg Echoes, which was published in 2019.

Lyn, who contributed the chapter on archaeology in the history book, remains a highly active researcher and esteemed member of the international archaeological community through her continuing association with Wits. In 2021, she and a group of other local enthusiasts in wild flower photography took advantage of Covid lockdown restrictions to compile and publish a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated guide to the wildflowers of the Waterberg region.

Save the Date.....