Community Advisory Committee
Community Advisory Committee - Peter Mac Cancer Centre
| Since its inception in 2001, the Peter Mac Community Advisory Community has worked to empower patients, their families and carers in owning the services provided by the Peter Mac, by working with the organisation and providing valuable knowledge, insight and time into the development of services and encouraging staff to provide the best care and treatment available. |
| Useful Links |
| Peter Mac Patient Rights and Responsibilities |
| Marking your voice heard at Peter Mac Our Community Advisory Committee |
| The Community Advisory Committee Role |
| This Community Advisory Committee is a sub committee of the Board and works to provide the Board with direction and advice on behalf on the community, consumers and carers. The Community Advisory Committee provides the organisation with valuable knowledge and insight to developing services and improving the patients journey. The Committee provides a 'voice' for consumers in the development and running of Peter Mac. |
| Consumer representation on Committees |
| One of the greatest achievements of the committee has been to attain consumer representation on a large number of committees within and external to the organisation. Consumer representatives now participate on the following committees: |
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| Members Profiles |
| Mrs Rosemary Bambery |
| Rosemary is a breast cancer survivor and current outpatient whose relationship started with Peter Mac when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. Rosemary has been employed in the education field for the past 17 years, working with adolescents who have disabilities and special needs. She has been an active representative on several community, school and sporting committees over many years. A member of the Peter Mac Consumer Register, Cancer Voices Victoria and the Review and Survey group of Breast Cancer Network Australia, Rosemary is also an enthusiastic fundraiser for Cancer Council Victoria. Rosemary has a firm belief that excellence in care and improved outcomes for patients will occur through consumer participation and collaborative decision making. On a personal note, Rosemary is an avid sports fan and participant, the highlight of her netball career being the honour of competing in the World Masters Games in 2002. |
| Mr Bryan Baker |
| For many years Bryan ran a 3-generation family electrical retail/contracting business in Bendigo. He became interested in cancer treatment in 1998 when a close friend experienced the trauma of having to travel to Melbourne for radiotherapy. Bryan became a strong lobbyist for the introduction of cancer treatment facilities in country Victoria. He was a founding member, and is currently Chair, of the Bendigo radiotherapy Foundation established to support the introduction of new technology, purchase equipment, provide patient accommodation and improve radiotherapy treatment in the Bendigo region. As a member of the Peter Mac’s Community Advisory Committee Bryan brings an important regional/rural perspective to the group. He is very involved in local service clubs such as Probus and enjoys flying in his spare time. |
| Mrs Shirley Carvosso |
| Shirley is a retired nurse. For many years she worked in the field of aged care and had a particular passion for the care of Dementia patients and their families. Prior to retirement Shirley worked as an assessment worker for the Aged Care Assessment Team in Wangaratta. This position made her conscious of the many complexities of old age from both a client and carer perspective. As a rural resident Shirley understands the additional issues related to acre in rural environment. Shirley’s desire to become involved with Peter Mac came from her experiences as a nurse and more personally, from caring for her husband who died several years ago from lung cancer. Since her retirement Shirley has maintained an active involvement in her local community through past work contacts, part time work and sport. |
| Mr Paul MacKinnon Clark |
| Paul is an English Language teacher and until recently lived and taught in Vietnam for six years. Paul is now based in Melbourne. Prior to living in Vietnam, Paul worked in the advertising profession and in sales and marketing for the property / real estate industry. |
| Mrs Helen Molloy |
| Helen is originally from Adelaide but has lived in Brisbane and Melbourne when her husband’s business required them to move there. After raising her children, Helen decided on a career in retail and worked her way up to become a buyer of fashion garments; and then to State Manager of a jeans company before taking on senior management roles with both David Jones and Myer. Helen has also gained extensive experience from owning and operating her own Café and fashion businesses. Helen, like many other people, has been touched by cancer, losing her sister to breast cancer and then 2 months later her daughter at aged 27 years to the same insidious disease. More recently Helen’s husband was diagnosed with a rare cancer which claimed his life 2 years after diagnosis. Helen began community service work volunteering with Good Beginnings, an organisation that assists mothers with young children up to the age of 5 who are having difficulties coping with postnatal depression, medical disorders with the children, or other social problems. Despite her own personal challenges with grief, Helen discovered that giving back to the community that supported her during those times of adversity and loss to help others has been enormously beneficial. Helen has true empathy for others who are experiencing the day to day difficulties of just putting one foot in front of the other or trying to stay positive despite the demands of their diseases. Helen hopes her contribution to the Community Advisory Committee will be of value to others in improving the care or services they receive. |
| Mr Pat Moran |
| Pat worked as a shop butcher in Newport for 50 years between 1954 and 2004. Having been employed for so long in the same area he came to know the locals very well and developed a strong sense of community. Pat is married with three daughters and through his children has been involved in many local committees including sporting clubs, church and other organisations. He is still a member of the Altona Rotary and Seaholme Probus Clubs. Pat also volunteers as a fundraiser with the Red Cross each year for their annual collection. After Pat’s retirement in 2004 he was diagnosed with Melanoma and was referred to Peter Mac for treatment. Since then he has joined the Peter Mac Volunteer service and works each Friday in the Patient Information & Support Centre to assist patients and their families obtain relevant and practical information to support them with their cancer diagnosis. He is also involved with the Melanoma Support Group, being able to offer empathy and understanding to others affected by the same condition. |
| Ms Beryl Shaw |
| Beryl is an author and public speaker who has a commitment to advocating for the best possible care for patients with a serious or life threatening illness such as cancer. Beryl’s Voluntary work is driven by her belief that effective communication between patient and health care professionals is an essential determinant in ensuring that patients receive excellent care. Beryl has received extensive media coverage of her books which include publications about her own experience with cancer, being a solo parent, and adoption reform. Beryl has been a volunteer with Arthritis Victoria for many years and presented at numerous public forums for the Health and Aged Care sector. A former Board member of the National Speakers Association of Australia, Beryl continues to hold membership of the Australian Writers’ Guild and the Australian Society of Authors, to Name just a couple and is the Founding Facilitator of the Fibromyalgia Group in Cockatoo. Beryl received the Margaret Stang Award in 2004 for her work with Arthritis Victoria and was nominated for the Australian of the Year in 2005. Her extensive life experience and skills, including her own challenge with cancer, have shaped Beryl’s life to become an advocate for patients and excellence in healthcare. It is this passion and commitment that Beryl brings to the Community Advisory Committee in order to advocate for the best possible care for Peter Mac patients. |
| Mrs Margaret Sowak |
| Margaret trained as a teacher and worked in secondary schools in Victoria, the ACT and London. She has also worked in industry as a home economist for energy companies. In more recent years Margaret and her husband have worked together in their own small business. Margaret lived in Shepparton for 20 years before moving back to Melbourne in 1996 after the death of her husband. Since retirement Margaret has become a Volunteer in a number of different areas. She has been with Peter Mac for the past 7 years, delivers meals to the elderly through Bass Care, works as a telephone counsellor for people with a life threatening illness and is an ‘English as a second language’ tutor at Swinburne. |
| Ms June Smith |
| June Smith, formerly a teacher, has experience in providing adult education in TAFE and workplace settings. She has connections with community groups through counselling and advocacy, and in developing community based learning programs. She is an active member of the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Group (OVCA) and a keen letter writer for Amnesty International. June is a member of Peter Mac’s Information and Education Committee and the Expedited Review Committee. |
| Ms Heather Watson |
| Heather has a strong interest in community participation having been a volunteer at the Royal Children’s Hospital and the St John Ambulance Motorcycle Division while working for a number of federal government agencies and completing qualifications in business and human resource management. Her interest in community work extended to her workplace where she trained in first aid and conflict resolution to act as a peer support debriefing officer. Heather is a member of the Peter Mac Primary Care and Population Health Advisory Committee and is representing Peter Mac on the Western & Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (WCMIS). |
| Community Links |
| www.healthissuescentre.org.au >> |
| www.latrobe.edu.au/chcp >> |
| www.dhs.vic.gov.au >> |
