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Issue No. 35 January 2021 INCORPORATING Volume 10, Issue 4 Polio Oz News December 2020 — Summer Edition Inside this issue: From the Editor Page 3 In Memory of Rebecca Round Page 4 Two Articles from The World-wide Fellowship of Polio Warriors Page 5 What's Polio Got To Do With General Practice In Australia ? Page 6 Is There Need For A Siesta? Page 7 Polio Australia’s Submission to the Disability Royal Commission Page 8 Rogues’ Gallery Page 9 Polio Australia’s Media Release re. NDIS exclusion of polio survivors Page 10 Tasmanian Report to Polio Australia AGM Page 11 Don’t Forget Page 12 Polio Oz News (See Page 14 for Inside this issue) Pages 13 to 39 January 2021 Arthur’s TAS POLIO NEWS Page 1 SUPPORT GROUP INFORMATION The Post Polio Support Groups are continuing to operate as usual. The EASTERN SHORE Post Polio Support Group of predominately residents of Ho- bart’s Eastern Shore is currently not meeting due to the Covid 19 virus. Contact David Shirley on 62287462 for further information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please Note The GLENORCHY Post Polio Support Group no longer meets on a reg- ular basis but its members still keep in contact with each other. Peggy Garland is still the contact on 62491014. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLEASE NOTE The WEST TAMAR Post Polio Support Group meets at the Riverside Hotel, 407 West Tamar Highway, Riverside at 12 noon on the 3rd Monday each month over a light luncheon. Anyone is welcome to join us Contact Ron & Jan Storay on 63265523 for further information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These groups do provide an excellent opportunity to meet with other polio survivors and share ideas and hints on making life easier for us. The old saying “A problem shared is a problem halved” is very relevant for polio survivors. This has been clearly demonstrated at the Polio Health and Wellness Retreats organised by Polio Australia which have been held in each year for the last nine years, where up to seventy (70) polio survivors and their spouses/carers gather to share their experienc- es with others in a similar position. Why not join a support group near you? If there is not one, why not start one? It only takes a phone call to someone you know who has also had polio and it can grow from there. Kindly printed by the office of Senator Wen- dy Askew (Liberal, Tasmania) whose sup- This newsletter is compiled as a service to Tas- mania’s Polio Community by Arthur L. Dobson port is greatly appreci- following the demise of the Post Polio Network— ated. Tasmanian Inc. It is available on subscription from Arthur and you will find the appropriate form of the back page of this newsletter. Please note that free copies will no longer be provided to Doctors, Health Centres etc. but will still be provided to other organisations in ex- change for their newsletters. January 2021 Arthur’s TAS POLIO NEWS Page 2 graves of children who would have died without From the Editor having seen a doctor and therefore the cause of Welcome to 2021, I hope it death would not have been recorded. brings us more joy than we In the two decades prior to the introduction of experienced last year. the Salk Vaccine polio was the third highest Just after I posted the Octo- cause of recorded death from major infectious ber issue of this newsletter I disease after Diphtheria and Whooping cough. Following the introduction of this and the Oral was informed of the passing of Rebecca Round and a trib- Sabin vaccine the death from polio dropped to ute to this inspirational lady almost zero. follows on the next page. In addition to this polio was regarded as a dirty With the closing of the Polio Library I decided to disease by the general population and many have a another look at some of the informative families deliberately hid the fact that family items it contains starting with ‘The Great members may have been infected in the very Scourge’, a book published in 1995 and written real fear of being ostracised by the general com- by Anne Killalea covering the polio epidemic of munity. This makes it impossible to provide any- 1937-38. where near an accurate number of people who were affected which is demanded by the govern- This work is based on Anne’s research and inter- ment authorities so as to justify providing appro- views with many polio survivors and medical and priate assistance to todays polio survivors. health professionals who lived through that epidemic which with 421 cases per 100,000 head of One thing that stands out through out this book population reported was the second worst polio is the dedication of the health professionals and epidemic the world has experienced and had a volunteers to the task of trying to look after the death rate of 8.1%. The worst being in Iceland in victims often with very limited equipment and 1924 with 480 cases per 100,000 head of popula- supplies. These people worked what today tion. In Victoria in 1936-37 135 cases per would be regarded as totally unacceptable hours and many were on duty 24 hours per day 100,000 head of population were recorded making it the second worst epidemic in Australia. snatching small periods of rest/sleep on the hospital wards. They were not highly trained nor The first recorded case in this epidemic was a paid more than a pittance by todays standards. seven year old boy from the Launceston suburb of Inveresk and it is believed the virus arrived by Thanks to the dedication of these people and the ship from Melbourne. Despite road blocks being determination of the polio victims themselves put in place at places like Glen Dhu, to try and many of them went on to have very productive prevent the disease spreading to the North West lives and successful careers however it is becom- the virus spread rapidly around the state. ing increasingly obvious that those of us engaged in more physical occupations are suffering more Over the years I have met a number of the peo- from the late effects of polio/post polio syndrome ple mentioned in this book and have great admi- due to the irreparable damage done to our neu- ration of them and what they had to go through. ro-muscular system. As noted Physiotherapist, Margaret Mack, told me they were flying blind as at that time there was PLEASE—Have a another look though the Li- no standard treatment laid down to deal with po- brary list I included in the October Issue of this lio, either the epidemic or the patients them- newsletter and if there are any items there that selves. you would like just let me know and I will get it to you at no cost to you. It doesn’t matter who The controversy over the health professional or where you are. verses Sister Elizabeth Kenny methods of treatment raged throughout this period but from what This newsletter may be a bit later than usual as I I have read it should never have occurred as po- have been having computer problems which I lio affected its victims in so many different ways hope have now been fixed by the purchase of a new computer which I am learning to use so I and what helped some was not effective for others. If people had swallowed their pride the best apologise in advance for any deficiencies that treatment was probably a combination of aspects may be present. of both treatments, indeed many of Sister Ken- Unfortunately every time you change computers ny’s ideas have been incorporated into physio- or programs you have to go through a whole new therapy over the years but yet the controversy learning experience which I find rather difficult still rages. with my limited understanding of information What we must remember is that at that time technology (IT). health services, roads and transport were very I hope you had an enjoyable festive season with different than what they are today. family and friends and we can all look forward to One of the most alarming facts is that most of a much kinder 2021. the cases were in rural areas and many of them would never have been reported due to limited communication. A visit to many country ceme- Kind regards, Arthur teries will reveal a disproportionate number of January 2021 Arthur’s TAS POLIO NEWS Page 3 In loving memory of Rebecca c.j. round 1930—2020 From page 107 in ‘The Great Scourge’ “Two sisters, Rebecca (eight) and Winifred (thirteen) Lucas, accommo- dated in separate parts of the Laun- ceston hospital, had not seen each other in three years when an older sister brought them together for a photograph.” Their mother rode her bicycle 52 miles from Railton each Sunday for three years to visit them. The 23rd September, 2020 was a sad day for Tasmania’s polio community with the passing of Rebecca Round (nee Lucas). She was a staunch advocate for polio survivors and was always willing to speak out on our behalf whenever the opportunity arose and used her leadership skills to encourage others to do the same. Rebecca never let her disabilities hold her back and loved travelling, regularly sailing on the tall ship ‘Lady Nelson’ as part of the crew where she was also a founding member of the ‘Lady Nelson Trust’. She also visited Antarctica by ship from South America and was fasci- nated that whilst the humans were told not to interact with the pen- guins these birds did not observe the same rules.

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