AUTUMN UPDATE 2018
Australian Rotary Health Districts of Australia
Research
Scholarships
Education
Awareness
Chairman’s Report Gregory Ross
WE ARE FACING a truly exciting time in the life of Australian Rotary Health. Your Board has determined that over the next three years we will generate significant increases in both general research funding and mental illness prevention research. We invite every Rotary Club in Australia and all Rotarians to get involved and make a real difference in improving the mental wellness in our country.
Our Muster for Mental Health concluded in Ulverstone, Tasmania on 24th February. While the tyranny of distance made it impractical in the mainland states, the Muster was a great success in the Apple Isle. The Tasmanian Government added its support as a sponsor of the event and the organising committee, Rotarians and friends ensured that the Muster fulfilled everything they set out to achieve. I was privileged to present at the Farewell Dinner and was thrilled to hear of the positive impact that the seven health forums had during their journey around Tasmania. After one forum a Rotarian said, ‘I have learned more about mental illness in 45 minutes than I have for the last 45 years.’ The forums made an impact in each of the regional centres, attended by local citizens and members of the Muster. More are now being organised. The personal stories given by many people proved how valuable such a community welfare activity can be. I unreservedly applaud the efforts of ARH Chairman 9830 John Dare, ARH Vice-Chairman Kevin Shadbolt and the Tasmanian Muster team who produced an event that changed the thinking of many and gave a voice to those who needed it.
From left: : Kevin Shadbolt, John Dare and Gregory Ross with some of the Musterers
Thanks to the State Government for its sponsorship, to DG 9830 Tony Colman for his support and to our two T’s who drove the Avida motor home ... T1: Past ARH Chairman Terry Grant and T2: ARH Corporate Manager Terry Davies, whose idea it was to have a Muster for Mental Health. At the Mole Creek Hotel, on the road from Deloraine to Cradle Mountain, ‘A Day at the Creek’ was held on Saturday 24th February, an annual musical event attended by many who park overnight in the paddock opposite the hotel. Doug and Ramona Westbrook, the publicans, supported our Lift the Lid campaign and made a substantial donation from event takings. I called in to say thank you and was most impressed by the hotel itself, by Doug and Ramona’s sense of community and with the substantial stage area set outside in the grounds. If you’re driving through Tassie, the Mole Creek Hotel is well worth a visit. The 2018 Facts booklets are now available. If you would like a paper copy, please contact Australian Rotary Health staff at (02) 8837 1900 or admin@arh.org.au. The first pages are headed ABOUT US and give clear, easy to read information about ARH. Then follow details about our funding, our mental health and general research, and then our programs, particularly our Indigenous Health Scholarships, so successfully run by Cheryl Deguara.
L-R: Doug and Ramona Westbrook, Gregory Ross, Kevin Shadbolt and John Dare
At my recent presentation at the D 9820 Conference in Sale, Victoria, I talked briefly about Adopt a Scientist. This is a new Continued page 2
Australian Rotary Health • PO Box 3455 Parramatta NSW 2124 • Phone 02 8837 1900 • admin@australianrotaryhealth.org.au
ARH UPDATE
Chairman’s Report
Continued from cover
social media website and part of our national Lift the Lid campaign, enabling people to support any of nine areas of mental illness prevention research. The nine areas are: depression, anxiety, youth mental
health, suicide and self-injury, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating and body disorders, substance abuse, bipolar and schizophrenia. Please check out Adopt a Scientist which has been developed with media advertising company Dentsu X and our ARH staff. One of the greatest challenges we face is gaining public recognition for the wonderful research work ARH funds. While understanding that mental health research has no quick fix and is an investment for better mental health in the future, we need to up government, corporate and public involvement.
Gregory with President Karen Badcock during a visit to the Rotary Club of Salamanca.
I recently met with the Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt at his electorate office (where he is a Rotarian with his local Club).
He was very supportive of our activities and encouraging of our plans. However, this positivity has yet to translate into financial support for our research. We are a great Australian Rotary research program, fully endorsed by RI, with an enviable track record. And thanks to the generosity of our many volunteers, we can give 100% of our donations to our research programs. We will continue to seek partnerships with governments, federal and state, while ensuring that support from our Rotary base stays strong. Wishing you good health.
Gregory Ross, ARH Chairman
Rotarians Supporting ARH
ARH Chairman Gregory Ross (left) with Frank and Gwen Fisher from the Rotary Club of Mornington. Frank and Gwen were presented with a Ruby Companion award for their amazing efforts in donating over $20,000 to Australian Rotary Health!
In March we hosted a community Wellbeing Expo in Hobart with West Moonah Community House. Here are Biddy Fisk and Lorraine Walker from the Rotary Club of Sandy Bay helping out at the ARH stall.
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In October last year, to Lift the Lid on Mental Illness, the Rotary Club of Litchfield/Palmerston held a 3-hour sunset cruise to raise money for research through Australian Rotary Health.
The Rotary Club of Nelson Bay had a ‘Hat Day’ themed bare foot bowls night earlier in the year to Lift the Lid on Mental Illness! They also donated $1000 to Australian Rotary Health for research.
Australian Rotary Health • PO Box 3455 Parramatta NSW 2124 • Phone 02 8837 1900 • www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au
AUTUMN 2018
ARH Funded Studies on Alcohol Recently Published Mental Health Research Grant recipient Professor Richard Mattick and Ian Scott PhD Scholarship recipient Dr Clare McCormack from the University of New South Wales’ National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, have both had their studies on the effects of alcohol published in reputable journals recently. Australian Rotary Health has provided funding to Professor Mattick in 20112013 and again in 2015-2017 for a longitudinal cohort study which looks at the effects of parents supplying alcohol to their children. A recent study published in the British journal Psychological Medicine, revealed that providing alcohol to a child under 18 increases the likelihood of drinking later.
While children who are given alcohol from people other than their parents are three times more likely to binge drink by 15. From 2013-2015 Australian Rotary Health funded Dr McCormack for her PhD on the impacts of prenatal alcohol and drug exposure on infant cognitive development.
Richard Mattick - Mental Health Research Grant recipient
Dr McCormack’s study has recently been published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence and reported that there was no harmful effect of low-level alcohol use by mothers during pregnancy on infants’ cognitive ability at 12-months of age.
Clare McCormack - Ian Scott PhD Scholarship recipient
Dr McCormack cautions that the best course of action is not to drink during pregnancy, however, the study gives us useful information about the complex interactions between alcohol, early childhood development and other social and economic factors.
What ARH Researchers Hope to Achieve in 2018 “This year, I will be publishing the results of a comprehensive systematic review I have conducted on the prevalence of mental illness in refugees and asylum-seekers resettled outside their country of origin. The review has looked at children, adolescents and adults and the prevalence of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.” - Rebecca Blackmore, Ian Scott PhD Scholarship “The Rotary funded research project that I am leading is a large randomised controlled trial comparing two treatments for young people with depression. One is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), the most common intervention with a strong evidence base. The other is a new approach to treatment called Groups 4 Health (G4H), where young people are supported to become and stay more connected to social groups.” - Tegan Cruwys, Mental Health Research Grant
“In collaboration with the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation we will evaluate a mental health promotion programme for children with dyslexia in their final year of primary school. The programme specifically aims to improve child selfesteem, resilience, emotion regulation, adaptive coping, and assertiveness prior to the transition to secondary school. A pilot randomised controlled trial will be conducted to test the programme.” - Mark Boyes, Mental Health Research Grant “My program of work has three main aims: to evaluate the impact of national prevention and early intervention investments for maternal mental health on service use and mental health outcomes for women who have given birth in Australia over the past 20 years; to examine adherence to clinical best practice guidelines for perinatal mental health, and to validate a clinical tool that will support the early identification of psychosocial risk during pregnancy.” - Nicole Reilly, Postdoctoral Fellowship
“My research project examines a cognitive behavioural program for sleep problems in preschool children. In 2018, we will run our first cohort of children through the program across three different sites: Adelaide, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. We hope to recruit 90 children this year and assist them with their sleep problems before they begin their first year of formal schooling in 2019.” - Caroline Donovan, Mental Health Grant “My research project looks to examine the relationships between modifiable lifestyle behaviours such as physical activity and diet, and common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. In 2018 I will be collaborating within an existing community-based trial, the WHO STOPS Obesity Prevention Trial led by Global Obesity Centre at Deakin University, to investigate food and physical activity systems and the impact upon mental and emotional health among young people.” - Erin Hoare, Postdoctoral Fellowship
Australian Rotary Health • PO Box 3455 Parramatta NSW 2124 • Phone 02 8837 1900 • www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au
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ARH UPDATE
Ways You Can Support ARH this Year Rotarians are famous for lending a helping hand to people and communities who need it most. With so many people out there who need our help, it can be difficult to know where to dedicate our time and attention.
L-R: Stephen Ngo, John Benger (Rotary Club of Richmond), Faye Browne (Motto Fashions Funding Partner), Michelle Benstead, and Gregory Ross (ARH Chairman).
Rotarians Supporting ARH Funding Partner PhD Scholarship recipients Stephen Ngo and Michelle Benstead presented an update on their research at a Rotary Club of Richmond (Vic) meeting recently.
Stephen’s project focusses on engaging differentiation of immature leukemic cells in acute myeloid leukemia, while Michelle looks at the effectiveness of a preventative family-based intervention for children at risk of developing depression in adolescence.
Eóin is a Professor at the University of Melbourne, a NHMRC Fellow, Associate Director of Research and Head of Functional Recovery Research in Youth Mental Health at Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health and the Centre for Youth Mental Health at The University of Melbourne. He sent us this note recently to thank Australian Rotary Health and Rotarians for supporting novel ideas in mental health research. “I was getting ready to go and speak with Rotarians in Bendigo and as I was preparing I thought to send a note to you to once again say how grateful I am for the start that ARH gave my research a decade ago. I also wanted to let you know that from that initial $57,000
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We know so much more now because of research, but there is still so much more we need to uncover. Unfortunately, there are many worthwhile research ideas out there that just never get the funding. Your donation could lead to the next breakthrough in health areas such as mental health, cancer, motor neurone disease, and more.
Where Are They Now? Eóin Killackey was awarded a Mental Health Research Grant by Australian Rotary Health from 2008 to 2011 to test an intervention examining vocational, health, economic and social outcomes for young people in recovery after their first episode of psychosis. Eóin was also awarded the Australian Rotary Health Knowledge Dissemination Award in 2015 at the Society for Mental Health Research conference, during a special bow-tie night. Professor Michael Sawyer made the presentation on behalf of ARH.
Some of you may have supported Australian Rotary Health in the past, but if you have not or if you are thinking of who to support next, we ask that you consider dedicating your time and fundraising efforts to help Australian Rotary Health fund more research.
Here are some ways you can support ARH:
grant, other granting bodies supported the work with over $2 million of research support, and the federal government has invested over $20 million in disseminating our intervention,” Eóin said. “There are now close to 50 workers practicing it in Youth Mental Health settings around Australia and we are hopeful of more growth in this space soon. Most importantly, there are many many young people with mental ill health who have been reconnected with their education and employment, who otherwise would not have been.” “Thank you again for the investment of ARH in novel ideas in mental health research, for giving my work that crucial early support and my deep thanks to all the Rotarians who support ARH to make so much mental health research possible. Their support ultimately makes for better lives for people with mental illness.”
• Adopt a Scientist/Donate Online you can decide to make a one-off or monthly contribution to research by visiting: www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au/ support-us/campaigns/adopt-ascientist/ • Become a Funding Partner - Your Rotary Club can raise money to support a PhD Scholarship in an area of health you are passionate about. Find out more here: www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au/ support-us/funding-partner/ • Wills and Bequests - Including a bequest in your will is one of the easiest ways to continue supporting your favourite charity after your death. Find out more here: www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au/ support-us/wills-and-bequests/ If you have any questions, please call the Australian Rotary Health office on (02) 8837 1900 or email admin@arh.org.au
Australian Rotary Health • PO Box 3455 Parramatta NSW 2124 • Phone 02 8837 1900 • www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au
AUTUMN 2018
Muster for Mental Health Lifts the Lid Following the success of the Rotary Health Safari in 2005, Australian Rotary Health Corporate Manager Terry Davies came up with a similar concept for 2017/2018 called the Muster for Mental Health. After meeting with Rotarians in Tasmania to present his vision, it took no time at all before a Tasmanian Muster Committee was formed and plans to spread awareness of mental health issues in the community were ready to be executed. After much excitement and anticipation, on February 4 the Muster finally kicked off in Deloraine. Rotarians and travellers packed up their motorhomes and caravans for the journey, and with the support from Avida, we had our very own motorhome to drive around the countryside. During the trip, 7 mental health community forums were hosted in the communities of Deloraine, Riverside, St Helens, Margate, Queenstown, Smithton, and Ulverstone. At each event roughly 60 people from the local community attended to hear speakers talk about an issue that is not often discussed. Terry was impressed with the local
community involvement with the mental health forums. “Communities going out of their way to assist those affected by mental health issues made the forums a success and a promise of a better future,” Terry said. At times, the emotion in the atmosphere could become quite intense. To counteract this, mental health professionals, including psychologists from ‘Psychs on Bikes’, were on standby for emotional support. “The rapport between the psychiatrist, psychologist and mental health professionals and the local communities the Muster visited, made all the difference, and you could feel the stigma of mental health no longer having a strangle hold on the participants.” “The message that the community can promote resilience and effective mental health strategies within their town or city was the outcome of all of the seven forums. It gave hope to know that someone cares and understands mental health issues.” Due to the success of the Muster, Tasmanian Muster Committee Chairman John Dare said there are plans to keep the mental health forums going.
“We have had a number of communities request future forums. Georgetown, St Helens, Longford, Queenstown and Smithton have all requested forums next year,” John said. “One idea is when we run the forums we also have what I call a "Mini Muster" where I send the word out that we intend to hold a forum at a particular location on a particular date and invite past MUSTERERS and potential MUSTERERS to travel to the location and spend, say, 3 to 4 days at that location, working with the local Rotary Club, creating awareness and fundraising. This is an idea at the moment, but one which I believe will work.” “I believe it is impressive with what we have achieved in a number of communities within Tasmania with our first MUSTER. This would not have been possible without the local Rotary Clubs who were fantastic with their support.” Australian Rotary Health congratulates all who worked together in ensuring the Muster was a success. Keep an eye out for the May edition of Rotary Down Under for more Muster flashbacks!
Australian Rotary Health • PO Box 3455 Parramatta NSW 2124 • Phone 02 8837 1900 • www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au
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ARH UPDATE
2018 EVENTS
CALENDAR
JUNE 2 LIFT THE LID ON MENTAL ILLNESS BALL To raise money for our Lift the Lid on Mental Illness campaign, in June Australian Rotary Health and the Rotary Club of Brisbane Mid-City (QLD) will host the ‘Lift the Lid Ball’ at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets on Sale April 20. Keep an eye on www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au/events for further updates. OCTOBER 10 LIFT THE LID ON MENTAL ILLNESS Lift the Lid on Mental Illness is Australian Rotary Health’s National mental health fundraising and awareness day. Rotary Clubs and workplaces across Australia can support mental health research by hosting a Hat Day event or collecting donations. Visit www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au/events or www.hatday.com.au for further details. OCTOBER 11 ARH GOLF FOR RESEARCH The Australian Rotary Health Golf for Research will be held at Camden Lakeside Golf Club (NSW) this October. There will be raffle prizes on the day, and all funds raised will go towards health research. www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au/events OCTOBER 25 A NIGHT WITH OUR RESEARCHERS Join us for dinner at Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club (NSW) during Mental Health Month, for a chance to meet our researchers and hear the latest updates on their research. www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au/events
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Photos by: Brodie Weeding
MAY 26 - 27 BANISH THE BLACK DOG RIDE The Banish the Black Dog Charity Bike Ride is a relaxed cycling tour promoted by the Rotary Club of Townsville Central (QLD) to raise awareness of mental health issues in the community, and to raise funds to aid research into the causes and treatments of mental health disorders. The ride’s major donation recipient is Australian Rotary Health. www.banishtheblackdog.org.au
Teddy Bear Fly in and Kite Festival Back in February, Tasmania’s Devonport Rotary Club held their annual Teddy Bear Fly in and Kite Festival, to raise money for an Australian Rotary Health Funding Partner PhD Scholarship focussing on gastroparesis research.
spectacle of teddy bears parachuting down from the sky.
The family day out attracted a great crowd this year, who came to watch the colourful
We thank them for their continuous support.
The money raised from this event will go towards the Club’s third PhD scholarship into gastroparesis research.
Let’s Have a Ball Supporting Mental Health! Australian Rotary Health has quite an ambitious goal for the next three years, and that is to raise more funds than ever for mental health research through our Lift the Lid on Mental Illness campaign. On June 2, the Rotary Club of Brisbane Mid-City invites all to attend the ‘Lift the Lid Ball’, a brand new fundraising event to be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. In the Rotary tradition, the focus on fun and fundraising will be ever present, inviting attendees to part with ‘fines’ for lack of festive headwear, and prizes for
the best and most inventive promotion for lifting their lid. Tickets will include a drink and canapés on arrival, a two-course dinner, followed by coffee, with a cash bar available throughout the evening. In addition to this, raffles, prizes, other activities, and a band will entertain guests on the night with short presentations from Rotarians and researchers to expand our awareness of mental health achievements. Tickets will go on sale from April 20.
Visit www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au/events or www.rotaryclubofbrisbanemidcity.org for further details.
Australian Rotary Health • PO Box 3455 Parramatta NSW 2124 • Phone 02 8837 1900 • www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au
AUTUMN 2018
Rotary Club of Parramatta City Hosts PhD Scholars Dinner
Rotary Fitness
On Monday March 26, the Rotary Club of Parramatta City invited guests to attend the annual Australian Rotary Health PhD Scholars Night at Oatlands Golf Club.
A new initiative combining Rotary and fitness has recently been launched to improve health and wellbeing. The aim is to support Rotary Club and community fitness activities and raise funds for new medical research, health education and awareness.
PhD Scholarship recipients, Gabriela Visini, Siobhan Loughnan, and Louise Birrell, and Indigenous Health Scholar Andrea Torresan joined us on the night and presented updates on their studies.
Why not get involved? The worst that can happen is you’ll get fitter, make new friends, and help to improve the lives of thousands as you exercise! Find out more: www.rotary.fitness/
Helping Parents Support Their Teens with Depression and Anxiety Associate Professor Marie Yap from Monash University has received funding from Australian Rotary Health since 2015, to test a web-based parenting program that aims to prevent depression and anxiety in teens. Research has shown that parents play a crucial role in protecting their children from these disorders, yet many parents still lack specific knowledge about how they can do this. “To fill these important gaps, our research team has developed Parenting Guidelines to prevent childhood depression and anxiety, which are supported by research evidence and endorsed by international experts in the field of parenting and child mental health,” Marie said. Based on the Parenting Guidelines, Marie’s team then developed the “Partners in Parenting” web-based intervention, which provides parents of teenagers with a tailored feedback report on their strengths and tips for improving in other areas, followed by a set of interactive online
modules to help parents apply these tips. “My Parenting Strategies Program, which includes the Partners in Parenting intervention, aims to translate research evidence into resources for parents to protect and promote their child’s mental health. To date, Parenting Strategies resources include 3 sets of Parenting Guidelines that are endorsed by research evidence and international experts and are accessed by more than 10,000 international users per month, and 3 interactive interventions like Partners in Parenting.” Recently, Marie completed a randomised controlled trial of the Partners in Parenting intervention, assessing parents and adolescents before and 3 months after using the intervention. The study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and revealed that within this short time frame, the intervention was successful in improving parenting practices that are known to influence the development of depression and anxiety in teenagers. In adolescents
Dr Marie Yap
who were already having difficulties with depression, the intervention also led to a reduction in their depressive symptoms. Due to the success of Marie’s Parenting Strategies Program so far, Australian Rotary Health awarded her a second Mental Health Research Grant (20182020), this time to test the long-term effects of the Parenting Resilient Kids intervention, another web-based parenting program, but for parents of primaryschool-aged children. To find out more about the study, visit www.parentingresilientkids.com/
Australian Rotary Health • PO Box 3455 Parramatta NSW 2124 • Phone 02 8837 1900 • www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au
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ARH UPDATE
Share this Newsletter with Friends Online We are uploading digital copies of all our publications online now giving you the opportunity to easily share Australian Rotary Health updates with other Rotarians and friends. Simply head to this link: https://issuu.com/australianrotaryhealth17/ We also send out an e-newsletter every fortnight. To ensure you don’t miss all the latest news, email news@arh.org.au or call (02) 8837 1900 to be included on the mailing list.
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Platinum Friends - $2,000 William Seelis Rotary Club of Berry Gerringong, NSW Alf McDermott NSW Ron Alexander Rotary Club of Ascot, WA Diana Leeder Rotary Club of Darwin Sunrise, NT Veronica Necyporuk Rotary Club of Padstow, NSW John Ranieri Rotary Club of Bridgetown, WA Silver Friends - $1,000 Barry Antees Rotary Club of Parramatta City, NSW Bill Waterfield Rotary Club of Karana Downs, Qld. Robina MacDiarmid NSW Janice Hadley Rotary Club of Belrose, NSW Professor Rob Morrison SA Marli & Duncan Taylor Rotary Club of Ryde, NSW
Australian Rotary Health • PO Box 3455 Parramatta NSW 2124 • Phone 02 8837 1900 • www.australianrotaryhealth.org.au