BLUE SEPTEMBER NEWS

Australian - Top brass turn blue in fight against cancer

Last Updated: Monday 20th of September 2010 at 03:21:32 PM

SINCE 2002, the Australian Defence Force has lost more personnel to cancer than have died in Afghanistan, where 21 men have been killed in action. And in just over a year, Chief of Army Ken Gillespie, and Defence Force Chief Angus Houston, have both been treated for prostate cancer. The pair have both recently lost service friends and colleagues to cancer. So on Friday, 10 of the army's generals had their faces painted bright blue to help raise awareness among the thousands under their command of the need for regular checkups as part of the "blue September" campaign. Five of these senior officers have personally dealt with prostate cancer or melanoma.

Lieutenant General Gillespie said soldiers needed to bring the skills inherent in their military culture to their own health issues. "In Afghanistan we realise there's an enemy there who can kill us," he said. "We understand that as a risk. We plan, we investigate, we use intelligence, we develop equipment, tactics and techniques, and we confront it by reducing the risk as much as possible. That's the real challenge to convince the men in the army they've got to do something about preserving themselves against this threat."

General Gillespie found himself embroiled on another front in the same battle recently when he changed the army's dress code to stop troops wearing berets in their daily work because they did not offer enough protection from the sun. He's unrepentant about that, on pure occupational health and safety grounds. His own confrontation with the disease persuaded General Gillespie to join the campaign to encourage men to face up to cancer as a serious risk they could do something about.

One in two Australian men will be diagnosed with cancer before they reach 85, more than 24,000 will die of cancer this year, and Australian men are twice as likely as women to die from cancers that can be prevented. General Gillespie is often asked if he's suffering any post operation symptoms. "The answer is absolutely none."

BRENDAN NICHOLSON