Celebrities come together to save men's lives- Be A Man prostate cancer awareness launch

Fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and grandfathers from all walks of life, including musicians, actors, sports stars, politicians, business leaders, and cancer survivors, came together on September 1 at Federation Square, Melbourne, to take a stand and urge Australian men to 'Be A Man' and talk to their doctors about prostate cancer.

The Victorian 'Be A Man' campaign was launched by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA), and is proudly sponsored by Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency (APIA).Tragically approximately 2600 Australian men currently die of prostate cancer every year - the equivalent number as that of women who die of breast cancer annually. The call today was to get men to do something about reducing this figure for their own sake, as well as for their families and the Australian male population as a whole.The Be A Man launch demonstrated bi-partisan support from politicians, unions, business leaders, football & cricket codes, and entertainers, with celebrity guests including: Wayne Swan, Federal Opposition Treasury spokesperson (and a survivor of prostate cancer himself); Chairman of Billiton BHP, Don Argus (survivor of prostate cancer); Assistant Secretary of the Australian Workers Union Cesar Melhen; Victorian ALP Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Daniel Andrews; AFL football greats Robbie Flower (prostate cancer survivor), Tim Watson & Laurie Serafini; current Bulldogs star Luke Darcy; music industry legends Angry Anderson, Mike Brady and Glenn Wheatley; actor & playwrite Alan Hopgood (survivor); political satirist Bryan Dawe; comedian Dave Grant; celebrity gardener Rick Eckersley (survivor); TV and radio personalities Tony Jones and Jo Silvagni (whose father died of prostate cancer); well-known football journalist & commentator Mike Sheahan; 3AW personality Sally Cockburn (Dr Feelgood); Prof Tony Costello, Director of Urology, Royal Melbourne Hospital; Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute Director of Radiation Oncology Prof Gill Duchesne,; Victorian Farmers Federation President Simon Ramsay and many, many more including prostate cancer survivors and their familiesPCFA Chairman, Patricia Watson, said the support for the Be A Man launch was extraordinary."The wonderful line up of supporters is testament to the growing importance of the prostate cancer awareness campaign.""Every one of the people on stage has given their time generously because they believe there needs to more awareness and action on prostate cancer.""Many of them have been personally affected by this insidious disease, and they donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t want to see it happen to other men and their families."Ms Watson said since the first launch in Sydney this year, there had been much better exposure and discussion about prostate cancer and men's health."However, while new research indicates that awareness is growing, many men are still embarrassed about the disease and are reluctant to discuss it. This campaign aims to change that attitude, particularly amongst men over 50.""Prostate cancer is the single biggest cause of death from cancer, after skin cancer, in men in Australia.""The Be A Man campaign involves a national television awareness campaign featuring some of our wonderful celebrities, new information in the form of brochures for consumers and GPs, seminars, workshops, and much more. It is the biggest thing the PCFA has been involved in - and it has all been made possible by the incredible support of Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency. They have funded this campaign to the tune of $2 million + over three years," Ms Watson said.Mr Kevin Pattison, General Manager of APIA, said they were overwhelmed at the support the Be A Man launch had generated."Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency is proud to be principal supporter of the Be A Man campaign with the PCFA. APIA is totally committed to understanding its customers insurance needs, providing them with outstanding customer service and insurance products, and helping to understand the risk of prostate cancer."(Source: Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia: September 2005.)