Letters: 'Try harder' and guarantee future of city's biggest art prize

When Warrnambool artists paint Warrnambool people, a community event is created with numerous benefits. People who would never attend the gallery at any other time come along. This raises the profile not only of the gallery, but also that of members of the community, and often the worthwhile organisations that they represent.

The main reason given for the gallery's loss of interest was a reduction in the number of entries received. Having almost missed last year's deadline through a lack of promotion of the event by the gallery, I suggest that some effort to advertise the Warrnibald to a wider audience in south-west Victoria would remedy the situation.

Rather than give up, the gallery should just try harder.

Eric Fairbank, Warrnambool

I write to support Don Stewart's letter of May, 4, 2024, calling for off-shore wind farms to be approved and put in place.

On the other hand, I do not support seismic blasting off coastlines for the purpose of potentially extracting further fossil fuels.

I view these as being two entirely separate issues. One which will potentially add to Australia's carbon pollution and the other doing the exact opposite; providing pollution free energy and important projects in meeting carbon reduction goals.

Russell Allardice, Port Fairy

Garry Linnell's article in The Standard April 27 re the internet is a beautifully written piece. So clever, entertaining, informative and comedic in a black way. Whilst the internet has its positives, it also has a dark side.

This dark side has social networking sites at the very top of the tree. The emergence of online grooming, cyberbullying, cyberracism, online scams and cybersuicide (descriptions of attempts of suicide which influences others) to mention a few has resulted in producing anxiety, depression and decreased physical activity.

There is also the massive problem of internet addiction, especially in children and teenagers. The Child Mind Institute states that internet addiction is not a clinical mental health diagnosis, but mental health professionals report seeing an increasing number of teenagers who exhibit a classic addictive pattern, where the internet has upended their lives and led to depression and even suicide.

Gone are the times spent socialising with peers and family face to face, exploring personal interests and just enjoying a life outdoors.

Schools are witnessing an increase in the numbers of students who present at school exhausted, pale, unable to concentrate, disengaged and lacking social skills due to constant late night gaming or social networking.

As Garry wrote, Your arrival in the world ushered a digital revolution that began altering the way the human brain works. You have turned us into a horde of screen zombies!

Has it done more damage than good? In my mind yes.

Thank you for your awesome opinion piece Garry.

Gavin Arnott, Allansford

We'd like to thank Victorians in Warrnambool who have booked in to do a Cervical Screening Test following Cancer Council Victoria's regional cervical cancer awareness campaign, run late last year.

A recent Cancer Council survey of 800 regional Victorians showed that more than two thirds of eligible Victorians who saw the campaign said they were now motivated to do a Cervical Screening Test when they were next due, while almost one third who were due said they had booked in to do a Cervical Screening Test.

A Cervical Screening Test looks for the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. Women and people with a cervix aged 25-74 need to do a Cervical

Screening Test every five years, even if they don't have any symptoms.

However, data shows that women and people with a cervix who live in regional areas of Australia participate in the National Cervical Screening Program at a lower rate than those who live in major cities.

In Warrnambool, 68.6 per cent of eligible women and people with a cervix are participating in the National Cervical Screening Program, compared to 69 per cent of all eligible Victorians.

At a state level, data from the Victorian Cancer Registry reported that between 2020-2022 Victorian women and people with a cervix living in regional areas were 22 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer compared to those living in metro areas.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers and can be successfully treated if found early through regular cervical screening.

We're thrilled to see such a positive response to the campaign with more regional Victorians motivated to screen, but there is still more work to be done.

While we have seen significant increases in knowledge and intent to screen, there are still key knowledge gaps with only 16.3 per cent of respondents who saw the campaign correctly identifying that you should start screening at 25 years old. Of all respondents to the survey almost 40 per cent had not previously heard of the option to self-collect your test with a small swab.

We are continuing our work to increase knowledge of cervical screening and ensure everyone eligible is aware of the option to self-collect through our new In Your Hands cervical screening campaign currently running statewide until late May.

A Cervical Screening Test every five years could save your life.

If you're due for your test, book in today at your local doctor's clinic, Community Health Centre or Aboriginal Health Service. Preventing cervical cancer is in your hands.

To learn more about cervical screening and the In Your Hands campaign, visit cancervic.org.au/cervical.

Kate Broun, Head of Screening, Early Detection and Immunisation, Cancer Council Victoria