Local Lions Club ’ s new cancer research project
by Lion Geoff Irvine
Since 2004 , West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Lions Club has been supporting The Westmead Children ’ s Hospital Cancer Research Unit [ WCHCRU ] to improve treatment and survival rates for child cancer patients .
During the past 16 years the club has raised and donated over $ 200,000 to fund important studies and research projects .
The club assists the WCHCRU by raising funds to provide the scientific equipment to facilitate each study and without the equipment medical research cannot happen . The West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Club is again assisting the WCHCRU in 2021 even though fund raising opportunities throughout the 2020 pandemic have been extremely difficult .
The challenge to help win the battle towards beating many types of cancers is one that all West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Lions members accept with passion . This resolve can make a difference to young lives that need the latest therapies and best treatments available .
The club ’ s major focus in recent years is to support much needed research into brain cancers . This area has seen important advances over the past decade , thus bringing hope to young children and their families .
The WCHCRU has made encouraging progress in brain cancer studies and their objective now is to develop Magnetic Resonance Elastography ( MRE ), a noninvasive medical imaging technique to generate a stiffness map of brain tissue in patients following diagnosis and during treatments .
This year ’ s project seeks to raise $ 27,000 . This amount will cover the purchase of a Gravitational Brain Transducer ($ 15,000 ) pilot scans of 10 patients ($ 7,000 ) and a comparative MRE analysis of laboratory mini-brain models ($ 5,000 ).
The Westmead CRU scientists are developing an exciting new model for growing “ brains in a dish ” and combining them with “ mini tumours ” of patient cells .
Direct comparison of MRE maps of the brains in a dish / mini tumour models with patient data will allow fine-tuning of the laboratory model to produce a near-toexact replica of the brain for testing new therapies .
Once the transducer is installed in the research MRI , and subsequent to
“ Families are funny ”
Castle HIll Players are back in 2021 with Things I Know to be True obtaining ethics approval , CRU ’ s scientists will perform the pilot on up to 10 patients at $ 700 per scan . From the pilot analysis researchers will determine the feasibility of the measurement and obtain the data required to scale up to a larger patient cohort , including expansion to analysis of children patients .
The benefits of this programme will help medical specialists tailor treatments for each child . It will also help to predict sites of cancer recurrence for disease monitoring and develop improved laboratory models to test new medicines .
In view of the fundraising difficulties the Lion ’ s Club has experienced over the past year , the club has set-up a Go-Fund- Me website and hopes that with this technology it will attract support from a broad base audience of donors within the online space .
The website can be easily accessed via the Westmead Hospital ’ s portal at www . bandagedbear . org . au to make donations on-line .
The club would also be pleased to hear from anyone wishing to be part of this project by contacting its President , Geoff Harrison , at geoffharrison @ ozemail . com . au ., or enquires can be made through the club ’ s new website at www . wphclions . org . au .
Castle Hill Players return with a bang : resuming from its Covidinterrupted 2020 season in Feb 2021 with Andrew Bovell ’ s hugely entertaining Aussie hit Things I Know to be True .
Things don ’ t always turn out the way you think they will . Children don ’ t always live up to expectations or do things the way their parents did . That ’ s what the Prices find out in this family drama set in modernday Australia . Fran and Bob love their four kids dearly . Their kids love them just as much . But they don ’ t necessarily see eye to eye about everything … and sometimes that comes as a shock .
Leading this delicious opening to the sumptuous menu of plays on offer in 2021 is long-time Castle Hill Players member and legendary director , Carol Wimmer .
Carol , who has directed at Castle Hill Players since 2001 , says of the play : “ There are many things I know to be true about Andrew Bovell ’ s writing ! I know that he watches and listens . That he is perceptive . That he uses what he observes to create characters that are very real who speak naturally . About complicated emotions . I wanted to direct this play even before I finished reading
BY ANDREW BOVELL , DIRECTED BY CAROL WIMMER
FEBRUARY 5-27 , 2021 THE PAVILION THEATRE , CASTLE HILL
it . Because it ’ s more than a play about a family . It ’ s about love and understanding – and misunderstanding . About growing up – and letting go . About joy – and pain . Its characters are funny and complex and confused – just like any family , anywhere !”
Things I Know to be True by Andrew Bovell stars Kate Jirelle , Annette van Roden , Stephen Snars , Vivienne Rodda , Adam Garden and Ben Freeman as the Price family .
Other delights awaiting Pavilion Theatre patrons in 2021 include Always a Bridesmaid ( April-May ), The Cripple of Inishmaan ( June ), Entertaining Angels ( July-Aug ), The Witches ( Sept-Oct ) and - the newest addition – Unnecessary Farce ( Nov-Dec ) with brilliant young debut director Julian Floriano . Full details available in the season brochure – and online at www . paviliontheatre . org . au
The Pavilion Theatre is located within the Castle Hill Showground , adjacent to the new Metro Hills Showground Station . The entrance is at the lights located between Gilbert and Carrington Roads , Castle Hill and the Doran Drive .
Make a great night at the Pavilion Theatre complete by enjoying a twocourse pre-show dinner at Nobles Restaurant at the Hills Lodge Hotel . Call 9680 3800 to book your table .
Things I Know to be True
All tickets : $ 25 Bookings : Call 9634 2929 or www . paviliontheatre . org . au
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT www . hdinews . com . au ISSUE 68 // FEBRUARY 2021 11