NEWS DESK
Sister’s gift a lifesaver for Darren Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au A SISTER’S generous gift is a potential lifesaver for Langwarrin man Darren Puleio. She is giving him one of her kidneys. Simone Lovitt, 42, of Lochiel Av, Edithvale, will donate the organ at The Alfred Hospital on 1 September in what Mr Puleio describes as “an awesome event”. The 44-year-old 183cm locksmith, who admits to previously being an overweight 150kg – and a heavy smoker - is now a much trimmer 112kg and is off the fags. He watches what he eats and “thinks healthy”. Mr Puleio’s condition became noticeable in August 2012. He sought medical treatment for breathing difficulties - which he thought at the time “could be asthma” - as well as high blood pressure. But the pills he was prescribed caused an allergic reaction and excessive swelling and he went back for further tests. They rang alarm bells with his doctor whose message was succinct: “You’d better come in.” He did, and was sent straight to the Frankston Hospital with renal failure. There, tablets he was given to urinate caused Mr Puleio to lose 13kg of excessive fluid in four days. Scans, blood tests and an ultrasound found that both his kidneys had “gone”. Now he’s on a dialysis machine for five hours every second day and life’s lost a bit of its shine. The brother and sister – adopted as babies by their common law parents from different biological parents – are a good medical match with a series of tests and studies proving their compatibility. They share the same O
Solar spotlight CANDIDATES in the November state election and Victorian senators Ricky Muir and John Madigan are being asked to “stand up” for solar power. “In a country with so much sun, clean, affordable energy should be accessible to everyone,” Sasha Mainsbridge said. Ms Mainsbridge, who describes herself as “solar owner, advocate for social justice issues and volunteer for Environment Victoria”, wants state candidates from Mordialloc to Portsea and the two senators to give their views on solar power at her “cuppa sunshine” event on Tuesday 19 August at the Frankston Enviro Hub, 8/14 Wells St. “Cuppa Sunshine is an initiative of Solar Citizens, an independent, community-based organisation bringing together millions of solar owners and supporters to grow and protect solar in Australia,” Ms Mainsbridge said. “Many more families want to make the move to solar and any changes to the renewable energy target will make that move harder.” For details call Ms Mainsbridge on 0422 641 474 or email sashamainsbridge@live.com
Golf day for charity Family affair: A kidney from sister Simone Lovitt will allow Darren Puleio to live a normal life. Picture: Yanni
positive blood group and the same tissue typing. Their blood cells “mix” well together and Ms Lovitt’s renal function is normal. Before being matched with his sister, Mr Puleio, of Robinsons Rd, received kidney offers from other potential donors – one his mother-in-law which, despite being generous, proved unsuitable. “I was pretty lucky to have five possible donors willing to help me,” he said. “They didn’t work out but it was good to know I had their support.”
Neither is taking their medical journey lightly. Mr Puleio said 95 per cent of kidney donor operations were successful, while Ms Lovitt pointed out that every anaesthetic posed dangers but that she was happy to take the risk “for someone I love”. The four-hour operation will “give him the quality of life he deserves,” she said. Afterwards, Mr Puleio will go on anti-rejection drugs and make sure he wears sunscreen outdoors as the drugs
he’s been prescribed make him more susceptible to skin cancer. At the same time, Ms Lovitt – a sales representative at Borthwick Food Services, Mulgrave, will take a month off work to recover. “My employer has been so generous and we could not have done this without their help and assistance. They have been amazing,” she said. Now, grateful for his sister’s “huge sacrifice”, her brother eagerly awaits the operation that will turn his life around.
GOLFERS of all standards are gearing up for a combined charity golf day at Kingswood Peninsula Country Golf Club on Saturday 6 September. Entries close on Friday 29 August or when capacity field is reached. Categories and fees include $80 public entry, $300 hole sponsorship and $500 hole sponsorship. Registration will be held at 7am and 11.45am with shotgun starts teeing off at 8am and 12.45pm. Kingswood Peninsula Country Golf Club, 211-279 Skye Rd, Frankston, phone: 9789 2222. Details: functions@peninsulagolf.com.au
Workshop maps future without bigger port By Jeff Nottle* WORLD leading visionaries, academics, key regional decision makers and community group representatives developed frameworks for exciting and plausible futures for the Western Port region at a workshop on Phillip Island. We have now seen comprehensive planning and visioning undertaken outside political divides and not limited to input from state bureaucrats and the hopes of politicians seeking to be elected. This is where true community strategic planning and thinking needs to commence and we now have well considered visions for the Western Port region. The five-day workshop was organised by the Australian National University, Preserve Western Port Action Group, Victorian National Parks Association, with the support of Bass Coast Council, The scenario-planning workshop explored what Western Port may look and feel like in 2040 based on other scenario planning exercises in various contexts held around the world in developing and communicating a shared vision. Participants from more than 27 organisations included professors, strategic planners, scientists, businesses, councillors and PhD students from the Australian National University They developed and explored four plausible futures for Western Port considering financial, sustainable and creative futures. These four scenarios were developed according to the two key
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Other options: Delegates at the five-day conference exploring alternatives to expanding the Port of hastings are, from left, Steve Cork Australian National University ecologist and futurist, Dr Ida Kubiszewski ANU senior lecturer, Dr Robert Costanza ANU chair in public policy, Simon Brannigan Victorian National Parks Association, Prof Barbara Norman foundation chair of Urban and Regional Planning, and Jeff Nottle chairman Preserve Western Port Action Group.
uncertainties that are likely to shape the future of Western Port. The intersection of these two key uncertainties created four scenarios that were explored by groups of participants in an effort to understand the implications for Western Port. The first uncertainty considered how Western Port, as a region, determines its future by either following conven-
Frankston Times 11 August 2014
tional economic development policies or shifting to United Nations sustainable development based policies that will preserve this relatively undeveloped and unique region. The planned international mega container port at Hasting was an example of a regional policy that pursues continued economic growth at the potential expense of the environment
and other sectors of the economy. The second uncertainty considered likely to shape the future is whether the world as a whole shifts from its current pursuance of economic growth beyond what is considered to be the planet’s ability to support this growth and instead switches tack towards development within these planetary boundaries.
Global action on climate change that attempts to keep climate change within two degrees Celsius was considered by the group to be an example of such action. Professor Robert Costanza, one of the workshop conveners: “Developing this vision is essential for ensuring that we consider all the possibilities for Western Port and generating a broad discussion of what kind of future people want”. Prof Costanza said the process was essential as “it is only through communication and development of shared visions that we can hope to achieve them”. The Victorian National Parks Association’s Simon Branigan saw the workshop as a “fantastic opportunity to bring together a diverse range of stakeholders, to think outside of the box and come up scenarios of what the Western Port region could look like in 2040”. The organisers and participants of the workshop plan to communicate the scenarios with the public in an effort to generate further discussion that will lead to obtaining a shared vision for Western Port. The participants passed a motion of support to recommend that the Bass Coast Shire Council consider seeking funding to develop and implement a communications and engagement plan for the final report. It is expected that a report from the workshop will be available by midSeptember. *Jeff Nottle is chairman of the Preserve Western Port Action Group.