WHILE farming innovation and technology has been at the forefront of the Mallee Machinery Field Days since its existence, the event also plays a major role when it comes to the health and wellbeing of rural communities.
The Southern Skin Cancer Clinic has been a vital part of the Mallee Machinery Field Days for around six years.
Administration manager Michelle Hoey said the clinic was motivated to make a difference within rural communities who did not have access to the important and potentially lifesaving services they provided.
The clinic has diagnosed more than 200 melanomas since commencing their field day visits throughout regional Victoria and New South Wales.
Each year, the clinic closes their Melbourne-based facility to be a part of the field days.
During the two days they provide a one-stop shop, offering Medicare bulk billed full body skin checks, preventative treatments such as cryotherapy, as well as performing biopsies and providing skin cancer information as an integral educational service for how to be sunsmart and how to identify a potential skin cancer.
“We understand that a lot of the time it’s hard to get away from the farm, so we wanted to make things as easy as possible, without having to send people away to get a referral,” Ms Hoey said.
“We have the ability to perform biopsies on the day and offer other preventative treatments, such as cryotherapy.
“Our aim was to provide an efficient service which motivates people to regularly have their skin checked.”
The service has been embraced by the local community, with the clinic providing more than 150 full body skin checks throughout the two-day event, with around one quarter of those requiring some type of skin cancer treatment.
Ms Hoey said they had witnessed a shift over the years, with farmers taking a more proactive approach to their health.
“Farmers are more open to the idea of getting checked, and we now have many regulars who make sure they have their annual skin check while attending the event,” Ms Hoey said.
“Farmers naturally spend a lot of time outdoors so their likelihood of getting skin cancer is greater.”
Ms Hoey encouraged everyone to ensure they visited their site at the upcoming event.
“It’s very rewarding work and something we are all very passionate about,” Ms Hoey said.
“Nobody should die from skin cancer.”
