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Still Talking Dedicated to the welfare of Laryngectomees and those with similar vocal disorders.

ALL CORRESPONDENCE :The Secretary, The Laryngectomee Association of NSW, PO Box 380,

BELROSE, NSW, 2085 Fax & Phone 02 9451 7926 Email: lansw@bigpond.com

The Laryngectomee Association of NSW© Issue No. 273 June 2016

OFFICE BEARERS 2016

PRESIDENT: Les Byrnes, 82/79-87 Boyce Road,

MAROUBRA, 2035. PH. (02 )9427

0509

VICE PRESIDENT: Peter Tierney, 11 Berrico Place,

BANGOR, 2234. Ph. (02)

9543 0478

SECRETARY/TREASURER: Raymond Chappelow,

Villa 65/9 Col Drewe Dr, STH BOWENFELS, 2790

Ph. (02) 6352 5826

raymond.chappelow@bigpond.com

WELFARE OFFICER: Cathy Edwards PO Box 54, AL-

LAWAH, 2218. Ph. (02) 9587 9636

SPEECH AIDS COORDINATOR:

John Chaloner, PO Box 31, SUMMER HILL, 2130.

Ph. (02) 9560 2852

EDITOR: George Southgate, 65 Church Street,

GLEN INNES, 2370 geocentric.gs1@gmail.com

ACCOMMODATION ASSISTANCE WHEN NEEDING

OUT-PATIENT TREATMENT AWAY FROM HOME:

Cancer Council NSW, 153 Dowling St,

WOOLLOOMOOLOO,

2011 (PO Box 572, Kings Cross, 1340)

Phone: (02) 9334 1900, Fax: (02) 9357 2676. Or

contact the Social Worker at hospital you will be

attending.

WHO TO CONTACT

SPEECH AIDS, BATTERIES, ADVICE ON REPAIRS:

John Chaloner, PO Box 31, SUMMER HILL, 2130 -

Ph. (02) 9560 2852

SHOWER SHIELD, STOMA COVER MATERIAL &

WELFARE MATTERS: Cathy Edwards, PO Box 54,

ALLAWAH, 2218. Ph. (02) 9451 7926

ASSOCIATION WEBPAGE: www.stilltalking.org

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF

LARYNGECTOMEES: www.theial.com/ial

WEB WHISPERS: www.webwhispers.org NEXT MEETING

20th July 2016 at the

Sydney Mechanics Institute, 280 Pitt St,

SYDNEY at 11 am.

The meeting will be followed by light

refreshments.

Laryngectomees, Friends, Families,

Professionals all WELCOME.

Regional Meetings Pg. 2

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Regional Meetings

NSW Association: 3rd Wednesday of month

(February - November)

Sydney Mechanics Institute, 280 Pitt St, SYDNEY,

2000 at11am.

NEW ENGLAND: Meets 2pm 1st Wed December

Conference Room, Rehab Unit, Tamworth Base

Hosp.

(02) 6767 8369

NEWCASTLE: 3rd Tuesday. Monthly Mayfield Bowl-

ing Cub,

Ingall St, Mayfield. Contact John Lovett (02) 4954

8308

NORTHERN RIVERS: 4 times annually in Lismore.

Contact Speech Pathologist Allison Grady

(02) 6629 4523 or (02) 6620 2157

ALBURY: Meets alternate months from February.

Contact Norma Teasdale (02) 6021 1749

CANBERRA: 1st Thursday. at 11am March. June.

September. December. Canberra Hospital.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS: Last Wednesday of month

10am. Thomas Rachael Moore Education Centre,

Liverpool Hospital. Contact Hei Lan Byun 0477 330

719 or Joanne Bartley 0439 813 807

MID NORTH COAST: Port Macquarie Community

Health Centre. Last Wed of March. June. September.

& 1st Wednesday December. Contact David McCly-

mont - President (02) 6559 8383

CENTRAL COAST: 3rd Friday of the month, Cancer

Council Community Hub, The Hive, Erina Fair

10am - 12 noon. Social Worker (02) 4320 2587

COFFS/CLARENCE: Cancer Council Lodges, Coffs

Health Campus. 2nd Tuesday

( February ,April ,June ,August ,October ,December )

Contact (02) 6656 7606

WOLLONGONG Hospital Block C level 8: 11am -

12.30

Tri-monthly 22/1/16 23/4/16, 23/7/16 - Lisa Le Cussan

(02) 4253 4500

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Message from the President

Welcome to the June edition of Still Talking which is

a first for our new Editor, George Southgate from

Glen Innes. George kindly offered to take over from

long time Editor Antoni Krasnodebski, following a

plea from Secretary Raymond. Antoni served 15

years on the job and we all wish him well in his

retirement (maybe a novel or two down the track).

Also 2016 welcomed Cathy Edwards-our new

Welfare Officer-taking over from Carol Gardner and

yours truly taking over from the late President Brian

Gardner. These are big shoes to fill for all the new

chums. All of us on committee are looking forward to

a good and healthy year and I invite all members to

support the Newsletter and forward items which

may interest us Lary’s to George for possible

inclusion in Still Talking.

Keep December 3rd free for our Xmas Party at

Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club. More details later.

Best wishes to all. Les Byrnes

I would like to say thank you to Antoni for his

assistance, and making it easy for me to continue

issuing the newsletter. If you want to write to the

editor or send articles or whatever else, just Email

them to me

Thanks george

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Minutes of Junes Meeting Minutes of April - May Meetings

Laryngectomee Association of NSW Inc

Minutes of the Meeting of 18 May, 2016.

The meeting opened at 11.03am with Les Byrnes occupying the

Chair.

Attendance

Laryngectomees:

R Chappelow; B Bunker; C. Phelan; F. Campbell; L Byrnes; J

Pyle; B Hodges

Non-Laryngectomees:

C Gardner; P Bunker; C Edwards

Apologies

J Chaloner; A Krasnodebski; P Tierney; G Tierney

Minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting of 16 March, 2016 were adopted on

the motion of J Pyle/C Gardner

Correspondence

P Dixon re voice prosthetic supply problems

E Barnier thanking LANSW for welcome

ACNC Quarterly - Autumn

Directory of Australian Associations – request to update

profile

2015 Audit Report

The New Voice – newsletter of LA of Victoria Inc.

Miscellaneous (mostly internal) emails

Received on the motion of B Hodges/C Gardner

Reports

Financial

Balance as at 29 February, 2016 $15,878.80

Less unpresented cheques #553/5/6/7 (February) $1,792.21

New Balance

$14,086.59

Add March Revenue

Subscriptions $140

Patients’ Items $115

Interest $0.46

Total

$14,342.05

Less March Expenditure

“Still Talking” Postage $190

Telecommunications $96.29

Stationery/Printing $539

Other Freight/Postage $78.4

Lunch $30

Patients’ items

$1,009.35

Rent of Meeting Room $36

Balance as at 31 March, 2016

$12,327.01

Welfare Officer (Carol Gardner) - March Report.

New Members - Nigel Balm of Marrickville; Eric Barnier of

Padstow; Sam Galea of Neutral Bay’ John Honeyman of Reid,

ACT.

Vale - Moyra Wilson of Coonamble; John Garisyne of Belrose

Thanks to Main Medical for donation of Foam Filter Squares (for

Complimentary Packs).

Welfare Officer (Carol Gardner)- April Report.

New Member - Linden Mitchell of Yarravel.

Vale - John White of Tabulan; Robert Cook of Tamworth

Price Increases - Stoma Covers > $6; Double-sided Medical

Tape > $6 (Subsidised Prices)

Allprint Graphics P/L of Rydalmere donated Windscreen

Emergency Decals (Secretary to write thank-you letter)

P O Box at Belrose closed

Carol expresses her thanks to Cathy Edwards for volunteering

to be Welfare Officer.

Carol Gardner will remain involved - “stick my bib in”

The Secretary’s Agenda items submitted at the March meeting

were continued with

Regarding Items 4, 5 & 6

It was resolved (R Chappelow/C Gardner) as follows: following

the practice of reimbursing Executive Members for Travel &

Accommodation to regional Branches, LANSW will reimburse

regional members traveling to State Meetings and Courses.

LANSW Executive Members residing in the regions will be

reimbursed also for Sydney Meetings. Regional/Country

Members requested to participate at State level.

Resolved R Chappelow/C Gardner:

The IOOF Account be closed;

AGM will be moved to March;

No action to be taken on Cancer Council refunds;

2016 LANSW Christmas Party moved to last Saturday in

November;

Items 3, 12, 13 to be considered at the next Meeting.

Les Byrnes stated that he would be prepared to stand for

President

As there have been no other nominations since the AGM of

February, last it was resolved on the motion of C Gardner/R

Chappelow that Les Byrnes be declared elected President

unopposed.

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Minutes of Junes Meeting Minutes of April - May Meetings

Cathy Edwards offered her services as Welfare Officer

C Gardner/R Chappelow nominated Cathy Edwards as

Welfare Officer and was elected unopposed

B Hodges advised the Meeting that he would no longer be

compiling delivering our Hospital Packs.

A vacancy exists for the position of Editor.

Meeting closed at 12.12pm.

Speech Aids Coordinator’s Report – April 2016

The Australian agent for the Nu Vois speech aid has had many

changes since they used to be Pacific Medical at Burnley in

Victoria.

They became part of the LMA global group and then the

Teleflex global group (both American) and are now part of the

ATOS global group (Scandinavian).

Their new contacts are – ATOS Medical Level 6 616 Harris

Street Ultimo NSW 2007 Phone: (02) 9274-8840 Sales: still

Andy Tusa

Laryngectomee Association of NSW Inc

Minutes of the Meeting of 18 May, 2016.

The meeting commenced at 11.03am with the President,

Les Byrnes occupying the Chair

The Minutes of the Meeting of the 20 April, last were

adopted on the motion of B Hodges/P Tierney

Attendance – Laryngectomees

R Chappelow, Les Byrnes, B Hodges, F Campbell,

P Tierney, B Bunker, S Galea.

Attendance – Non-Laryngectomees

G Tierney, P Bunker, C Edwards, C Gardner.

Apologies

P Lamont, J Pyle.

Outgoing Correspondence

1. Allprint Graphics - thank-you for donation of decals

2. Peter Dixon - re Secretary’s ‘failure’ to reply and

cleaning brushes

Incoming Correspondence

1. Len Hynds - poems

2. Jenny Hoadley - vale Allen

3. CBA - adjustment due to their error

4. mtwo accounting - receipt for payment for 2015

Audit

5. Eric Barnier - thanks

6. “

7. ACNC Quarterly - Autumn , 2016.

8. NSW Fair Trading - requesting update of info re

Public Officer

9. “ confirmation of update

10. Peter Dixon - re Prosthetic Cleaning brushes

11. Miscellaneous emails (mainly internal)

Matter arising from the Correspondence

Discussion regarding the letters from member Peter

Dixon and the Secretary writing to Enable as requested

by him.

P Tierney offered to phone Peter to discuss his issues.

Correspondence adopted on the motion of B Hodges/B

Bunker

Financial Report

Bank balance as at 31 March, 2016 $12,327.01

Add April Income

Subscriptions $60.00

Patients’ Supplies $96.30

Interest $0.35

Total $12,483.66

Less April Expenditure

Telecommunications $93.32

Other/Freight/Postage $213.75

Patients’ Items $565.00

Sundries $1.374.24

Lunch (April Meeting) $30.00

$2,276.31

Bank balance as at 30 April, 2016. $10,207.35

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Minutes of Junes Meeting Minutes of April - May Meetings

Adopted on the Motion of C Gardner/Tierney

Claims for Payment.

Already Paid

Cheque # 569 SMSA - RENT - $36

Cheque # 571 C Gardner - Patients’ Supplies - Work

lights - $715

Cheques # 572 C Gardner - Postage - Satchell's -

$225.7

Claimed today

R Chappelow - Postage - Stamps - $20

P Bunker - Lunch - $40

W Tyrell - Patients’ Supplies - $200

C Gardner - Patients’ “ - $234.30

Telstra - Telecommunications - $72.19

Welfare Officer’s Report. (Carol Gardner)

New Members John Tree of Boambee East, Phillip

Webb of Dundas

Mrs Ruby Smith, the mother of late member Derek Price

donated some supplies prior to the last meeting

Vale Alan Hoadley of Bathurst, Phillip Webb of Dundas

(joined very recently)

Mrs Cathy Edwards will soon take over the supply of

Hospital Packs (as requested by Speech Pathologists),

Complimentary Packs for new members (applications to

Secretary, Raymond Chappelow) and the usual Patients’

Supplies to members.

Cathy’s phone number is (02) 9587 9636, address P O

Box 54, Allawah, NSW 2218 email:- ced-

wards@bigpond.com

General Business

B Hodges raised his experience with dental issues and

lack of support until becoming a patient with the Medically

Compromised Clinic at Westmead Hospital

F Campbell raised a relevant article in “Still Talking”,

February, 2016.

Peter & Glenda Tierney recounted an experience in

Japan recently when Peter’s voice prosthetic came out. A

number of people assisted and were highly praised by

them.

The Treasurer undertook to attempt to close our IOOF

soon.

The new President will be added to our CBA accounts.

The Meeting closed at 12.02pm.

Stop Press

On Friday, 20 May, last Carol Gardner was informed of

the sudden death of our Assistant Welfare Officer and

esteemed member, Bruce Hodges. Bruce had attended

our Meeting of 18 May where he commented that he was

a bit “breathless.” He made the return trip but took him-

self to Bankstown Hospital where he died from a heart

attack the following Friday morning. Bruce has left

instructions that his Servox device be left to the

Association.

RIP Bruce.

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HUMIDIFIERS

Do you find your stoma going dry or coughing up a little blood sometimes? You could be prone

to drying out, especially in winter when heaters are on and the humidity is low anyway. There

are quite a few strategies you can employ to maintain moisture in the airway. The main one is to

keep the stoma covered. Stoma covers perform some functions that used to be carried out by

the nose and mouth, such as filtering airborne dirt, bacteria and other harmful particles. They

help in retaining a little moisture from the lungs that would otherwise be dissipated and they

hold a little warm air to mix with the incoming cold air. Special Heat and Moisture Exchangers

are, of course, even better at warm air and moisture capture, thereby raising the temperature

and water content of air inhaled into the tracheobroncheal tree. Drinking plenty of water can

help a little also.

A bowl of water in the bedroom can maintain some humidity while you sleep. An evaporator or

humidifier can provide as much humidity as you require. The optimum relative humidity level in

the home is between 35 to 45 percent. Unfortunately, if not properly looked after, humidifiers

can present health problems as they can become breeding grounds for mould and bacteria.

Some types of humidifiers can disperse microorganisms into the air in aerosol droplets that are

readily inhaled. Humidifiers least likely to disperse microorganisms or minerals are the

evaporative or steam vaporiser types.

A home humidifier should be cleaned daily, emptying out any remaining water, wipe all surfaces

dry with a clean soft towel and refill with clean water. Distilled water is preferred to tap water as

tap water contains minerals that could increase the development of crusty deposits that can be

a breeding ground for microorganisms. Once a week fill with a solution of 1 teaspoon of bleach

to about 5 litres of water, soak for 20 minutes sloshing it around the sides occasionally. Then

empty and rinse thoroughly. Remove any crusty mineral deposits with a solution of half water/

half vinegar using a soft brush or rag. Always refer, of course, to the manufacturer’s

recommendations.

The foregoing might have suggested that using a humidifier is not worth the hassle. That is not

the case at all as not only will your health benefit from an optimum humidity level but it can

prevent static electricity, peeling wallpaper and cracks in paint and furniture as well. However,

as excess humidity can cause a lot of problems too, it could pay you to get a gauge for

measuring the humidity in the area where you are using the humidifier. Do not humidify over 50

percent and reduce settings if moisture forms on windows, walls etc. To help humidity retention

you can seal your doors and windows, also any fireplaces that are not in use.

It is up to you. If you find your stoma drying out, if you are coughing up blood, then raising the

level of humidity in the air you breathe can be the first step in fixing the problem..

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An American decided to write a book about

famous churches around the world. So he bought

a plane ticket and took a trip to Orlando, thinking

that he would start by working his way across the

USA from South to North.

On his first day he was inside a church taking

photographs when he noticed golden telephone

mounted on the wall with a sign that read

"$10,000 per call". The American, being intrigued,

asked priest who was strolling by what the tele-

phone was used for.

The priest replied that it was a direct line to

heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to

God. The American thanked the priest and went

along his way.

Next stop was in Atlanta. There, at a very large

cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with

the same sign under it. He wondered if this was

the same kind of telephone he saw in Orlando and

he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was. She

told him that it was a direct line to heaven and

that for $10,000 he could talk to God. O.K., “thank

you," said the American. He then travelled to

Indianapolis, Washington DC, Philadelphia,

Boston, and New York. In every church he saw the

same golden telephone with the same "$10,000

per call" sign under it. The American, upon leaving

Vermont decided to travel to AUSTRALIA to see if

Australians had the same phone. He arrived in

Australia, and again, in the first church he entered,

there was the same golden telephone, but this

time the sign under it read "40 cents per call." The

American was surprised so he asked the priest

about the sign.

Father, I've travelled all over America and I've

seen this same golden telephone in many

churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven,

but in the US the price was $10,000 per call. Why

is it so cheap here?" The priest smiled and

answered, "You're in Australia now, mate - it's a

local call".

Sheila walked into the kitchen to find Bruce

stalking around with a fly swatter.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Hunting Flies" He responded.

"Oh. Killing any?" She asked.

"Yep, 3 males, 2 Females," he replied.

Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell them

apart?"

He responded, "3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the

phone."

A drunken man walks into a biker bar, sits down at

the bar and orders a drink. Looking around, he sees

three men sitting at a corner table. He gets up,

staggers to the table, leans over, looks the biggest,

meanest, biker in the face and says: "I went by your

grandma's house today and I saw her in the hallway

buck naked. Man, she is one fine looking woman!"

The biker looks at him and doesn't say a word. His

buddies are confused, because he is one bad biker

and would fight at the drop of a hat.

The drunk leans on the table again and says: "I got it

on with your grandma and she is good, the best I

ever had!"

The biker's buddies are starting to get really mad

but the biker still says nothing.

The drunk leans on the table one more time and

says, "I'll tell you something else, boy, your

grandma liked it!"

At this point the biker stands up, takes the drunk by

the shoulders looks him square in the eyes and says,

"Grandpa,....... Go home, you're drunk.”

Humour

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