20 January 2025

The Grafton Prostate Cancer Support Group (PCSG) has built up a strong reputation for its commitment to raising awareness of prostate cancer – and it has no plans to slow down anytime soon. 

The group recently launched its latest campaign calling on local men to speak to their GP about a PSA blood test.  

Grafton PCSG leader Bob Carnaby said a PSA test saved his life, and he’s determined to ensure other lives are saved too.  

“A PSA test detected my prostate cancer over nine years ago. It came to me as quite a shock as I wasn’t experiencing any symptoms,” he said.   

“After I was diagnosed, I had a prostatectomy and daily radiation for about six weeks and two years of hormone therapy.  

“That knocked the cancer back to a PSA of 0.008.  

“Five years ago, my PSA levels started to creep back up, and I’m currently on active surveillance, and I do a PSA test every three months or so. A PSA test saved my life.”  

Bob said their latest campaign, ‘Speak to your GP about a PSA blood test’, targets all men in the Grafton’s Clarence Valley. 

“PCFA research shows that the Grafton and Coffs Harbour region is a hotspot for advanced stage 4 prostate cancer diagnoses, which are currently 75 per cent higher than the national average,” he said. 

Bob added that around 13,000 men over 50 lived in Grafton’s Clarence Valley.  

“Around one in five men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime so that’s a lot of men in our own community,” Bob said.  

“Awareness is still lacking about how common prostate cancer is and who is at risk. 

“For example, we were invited to speak at a local organisation in December to provide information on prostate cancer. 

“Many of the men there had no idea that a simple blood test could be used to indicate if they had an issue with their prostate, and it was surprising how many still believed that the digital rectal exam was the primary way of detecting prostate cancer.  

“It was a real eye-opener.” 

Bob said that the Grafton PCSG group planned to roll out advertising across the community radio stations throughout the year to spread the message.   

Bob said if someone was diagnosed, the group would be there to support them.  

“It’s a very welcoming environment, and men can share as much or as little as they want. It’s great to be able to lean on each other during a prostate cancer diagnosis,” he said. 

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia CEO Anne Savage commended the group for its initiative.  

“More than 1,800 men in the Grafton and Coffs Harbour region are alive today after a diagnosis of prostate cancer, with 155 men newly diagnosed each year,” she said. 

“Community awareness is key to combatting the disease, which is why we’re so pleased to see this campaign targeting men in the local region.

“Early detection saves lives and we hope to see the whole community get on board with the campaign.” 

To find out more about prostate cancer and PSA testing, please visit www.prostate.org.au.  

To reach out to Bob, email b.carnaby@bigpond.com or call 0419 610 917.