Rabobank’s NSW Client Council has partnered with the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation to provide free skin checks for the Narromine community.
The foundation’s Skin Check Truck – Australia’s first mobile skin health program –provides specialist services to communities who otherwise may not be able to access a similar service, while further educating them on skin cancer and how to take preventative measures.
The Skin Check Truck will be in Narromine on Tuesday, July 14 at the Narromine Shire Council Car Park,124 Dandaloo Street, running from 8am to 4pm.
The Narromine event has been spearheaded and funded by food and agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank’s Rabo Client Council, a group of the bank’s farming clients who volunteer their time implementing programs that contribute to the sustainability of rural and regional communities.
Rabobank’s NSW Client Council chair and Gunning-based sheep and cattle producer Lucy Knight said unfortunately skin cancer has become known as “the farmer’s cancer”.
“Australia has one of the world’s highest rates of skin cancer,” Mrs Knight said. “It’s vital that people in rural communities – especially farmers – take proactive steps.”
“Australian Skin Cancer Foundation research shows farmers have a 60 per cent higher melanoma death rate than the general population, while skin cancer deaths among farmers over 65 are double those of other Australians,” she said.
“The Rabo Client Council is pleased to support a proactive program helping address these concerning statistics.”
Mrs Knight said the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation’s mission aligns well with one of the Rabo Client Council’s key aims of improving rural health and wellbeing.
The Australian Skin Cancer Foundation launched Australia’s first mobile National Skin Check Truck in June 2023. Since launching, the Skin Check Truck has undertaken more than 26,600 individual skin checks and identified almost 300 suspected melanomas.
Mrs Knight said being able to access the service locally, and not having to drive hundreds of kilometres, significantly reduced delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Mrs Knight encouraged local farming families to also bring their staff along for a skin check and “do something proactive in addressing a health challenge that is so prevalent in the bush”.
Australian Skin Cancer Foundation founder and CEO Jay Allen said too often people living in regional and rural communities put their own health last. “Between work, family and the distance to healthcare services, many simply don’t get the opportunity to have regular skin checks. That’s why taking these services directly into communities like Narromine is so important,” he said.
“Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and we know that early detection gives people the best possible chance of a positive outcome. Every skin check has the potential to save a life.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support of Rabobank and the NSW Rabo Client Council. Partnerships like this allow us to bring life-saving skin cancer checks to regional communities that may otherwise miss out.
“In communities across Australia we’ve seen first-hand the impact of early detection. We’ve identified hundreds of suspected melanomas through our mobile screening program, many in people who had no idea anything was wrong,” Mr Allen said.
“Farmers and regional Australians spend countless hours outdoors helping feed and support our country. They deserve access to the same preventative health services as those living in major cities.
“Our mission is simple – detect skin cancer early and make skin checks more accessible, regardless of where someone lives,” Mr Allen said. “We believe your postcode should never determine your access to potentially life-saving healthcare.”
Rabo Client Councils
Rabobank head of relationship management for NSW Duncan Whan said Rabobank’s Rabo Client Councils are helping rural communities thrive.
“The Rabo Client Councils are a direct way for our clients to advance the initiatives and ideas that are important to their community,” Mr Whan said.
“Together we develop and implement these meaningful national and grassroots initiatives across six key themes: long-term industry capacity and agricultural education, environmental sustainability, rural/urban connection, natural disaster resilience, rural wellbeing and adaptation/disruption.”
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About us:
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 125 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 35 countries, servicing the needs of more than nine million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 87 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.
