Festival Strikes Winning Chord
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Yorke Peninsula major sponsor of Country Times28 29 30 SEPT 2021 TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021 VOL. 53 NO. 28 | $2 INC. GST NEWS: INNES NEWS: PROFILE: NATIONAL NAIDOC 70 YEARS PARK IS PRIDE HAPPILY BOOMING PAGES MARRIED 15-18 PAGE 20 PAGE 7 Festival strikes OUR winning chord DOCS NEED HELP Health crisis worsens Rhiannon Koch practitioner on Wednesday, July 7, JOURNALIST and paramedics on Thursday and Friday, July 8-9. MAITLAND Hospital’s emergency “As a practice, we are concerned department was left without a doc- about how these shortages affect tor again for three days last week. our community, our doctors and This comes as a Copper Coast the wonderful nursing staff who GP has offered to cover three shifts work in the hospital,” Medical HQ at the Wallaroo Hospital in the past Maitland practice manager week, and Yorketown Medical Michelle Nelligan said. Practice waits for a locum doctor to “The nursing staff who work in arrive to help staff the clinic and the hospital are an amazing group hospital. of people, we have a good working These are just the latest examples relationship with them and we sup- of the problems with the health sys- port them 100 per cent. tem on Yorke Peninsula, which are “But having no coverage from a frustrating staff and patients. doctor for three days puts everyone People presenting to Maitland under pressure.” Hospital were treated by a nurse MORE PAGE 3 YOUR GUIDE FOR PLACES TO OPENING ACT... At Light Church, classical guitarists Caleb Lavery-Brook and Megan Robson set the tone for Adelaide Guitar Festival’s On the Road tour at Edithburgh on Saturday, July 10. Venues around the town quickly on Yorke Peninsula reached capacity for every show on the Edithburgh program. It was the first time Adelaide Guitar Festival had PAGES 21-23 expanded to include regional areas. PHOTO: Jenny Oldland MORE PAGE 6 FORECAST: WEDNESDAY POSSIBLE SHOWER 17O THURSDAY SHOWERS INCREASING 16O FRIDAY WINDY + SHOWERS 14O SATURDAY POSSIBLE SHOWER 13O SUNDAY POSSIBLE SHOWER 14O OPINION | 2 www.ypct.com.au No food or service Dry July Australian War OUR VIEW at Moonta Bay AS many Aussies face the prospect of spending Memorial more time at home due to COVID-19, we know IT’S sad to see there are no cafes at Moonta Bay now. it can be tempting to reach for alcohol. SINCE 2018, the Australian War Memorial has We have made Moonta Bay our holiday choice In fact, new research from Dry July engaged in extensive consultation on our Patients affected for a long time. We just don’t understand what Foundation has revealed the number of Development Project, running our own national has happened. Australians who said they are drinking more in program in addition to the consultations by health system Why did they all close? Is it the council? the average week has doubled in the past 12 connected to three major approval processes. Is it the locals? Is it COVID-19? months, indicating that a difficult year affected We have reached more than half a million issues Very sad for people on a holiday and not a our drinking habits. Australians in person, through our website and great look for the area. Very disappointing. However, the research also found 86 per cent social media, surveys, community forums, focus THE case of a mother trying desperately Carol Armstrong, Golden Grove of Australians believe they’d benefit from less groups, public notices and media coverage. to get help for her unwell child, on page 3, alcohol in their lives and 67 per cent of Aussies We have listened, and more than 50 changes illustrates several of the issues with local admit to being “sober curious”. have been made to the project. health services this paper has been If you’ve been thinking about taking a break One of the most important surveys took place pushing hard to improve. Crystal Brook’s from the booze, Dry July is the perfect in July 2020 when visitors to the memorial were The mother initially took her toddler to opportunity to start a healthier lifestyle. provided information about the project and Wallaroo, twice. Unhappy with the help Central Park The campaign is run by the Dry July asked if they supported it. More than 660 people offered, and with her child still struggling Foundation to support cancer charities, answered this question. to breathe, she tried the next closest IT’S now been two years since I started including Cancer Council. By going dry this July Remembering they had just visited existing hospital at Maitland. No doctor was there. improving Crystal Brook’s Central Park, with and fundraising on behalf of Cancer Council, galleries about Afghanistan and peacekeeping, The mother and child were sent back to some help from local people. you’ll help us continue to provide our vital 85 per cent of these visitors said yes, the Wallaroo for a third attempt and, after a The controlling body, Department for 13 11 20 Cancer Information and Support Line memorial needs to do more to tell modern long wait, again did not receive the help Infrastructure and Transport, has resisted the for all Australians affected by cancer. service stories and the plans we proposed were they sought. Finally, out of desperation, beautification while a poll of Crystal Brook There’s also a host of health benefits to quitting appropriate. Only six per cent were opposed. the mother drove to Adelaide where her residents a year ago showed 191 people in favour drinking for a month, including reducing your The expansion of the memorial’s galleries to child was quickly diagnosed as having an and only one against. cancer risk. In fact, it’s estimated three per cent of recognise recent conflicts and operations will asthma attack and treated. She was better I have tried to work cooperatively with DIT all cancers diagnosed in Australia each year are allow us to tell the untold stories of our almost instantly. but they are not interested. Port Pirie Regional due to alcohol use. servicemen and servicewomen. We don’t want to be negative but this is Council doesn’t seem to want to know about it. To register, visit dryjuly.com/cancercouncil. Through this once-in-a-generation project, not the first time we have heard a story One objection given for improvement of the And please remember, if you’re impacted by veterans who served, and those still serving, will like this, and it deserves to be told. It is park is “the land is contaminated” but I have cancer and need emotional or practical support, soon be able to visit the memorial to share stories completely unacceptable for such a gap to never seen or read any evidence of you can reach out to us by calling our 13 11 20 of their service and sacrifice with loved ones, and exist between the care on offer in the city contamination. Plants grow well, earthworms are Information and Support line. receive the recognition they so richly deserve. and here in the country. common. Lincoln Size, chief executive, Matt Anderson The peninsula’s health system is I believe DIT has done some soil testing in the Cancer Council SA Director, Australian War Memorial suffering from several problems. Doctors past couple of months but it seems not to have and nurses are overworked. New recruits provided local people with any results — was are scarce at best. Some emergency negligible contamination found? departments, like at Maitland in the story The land has been largely neglected by the outlined here, are having to operate authorities in the 40-plus years my wife and I without doctors for hours or days at a have had a house in Crystal Brook. Apart from Provide medical help time. At Wallaroo, nursing shifts have the recent soil testing, the only work that DIT has been cut. Most hospitals rely on locums to done is an annual slashing to limit fire hazard. I READ with some annoyance about the medical situation on the Yorke Peninsula (Doctor shortage help staff their EDs. And in fairness, we Ideally the land should be slashed at least twice continues across central, southern YP, YPCT 6-7-21). have heard several positive stories about a year, probably three times, to keep it tidy. I’ve Shadow Minister for Health and Wellbeing Chris Picton states a big issue in doctor shortage for patients being treated by locums on YP — contacted DIT and offered to pay for additional country health is a complete breakdown in relationships with local GPs and the hospitals, which has stories we intend to share. slashings. DIT didn’t even respond to my offer. created locum and GP replacement problems. But, as this example shows, there are I intend to arrange with a contractor to slash Yorketown Medical Practice staff must be pulling their hair out trying to cover patients’ health other times when patients are the land at my own expense as it becomes needs when GPs are unavailable elsewhere. disadvantaged. The staff in our health needed. My only concern is DIT might penalise State Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade has poorly managed regional health and facilities need more support. That’s why the contractor who does the job. placed many vulnerable people in their late age group under tremendous health pressures. we will continue pursuing these issues, I would hope not, and I hope DIT will respond There are about 27,000 people permanently residing on YP, where a high category are living in working with our local health services, to favourably to this letter.