Depression and anxietydon’t discriminate. Do you?

Mental Health Week, 9-15 October 2011Depression and anxiety can affect anyone at any time.

Often people won’t talk about how they’re feeling because they’re worried what others will think.Don’t let discrimination and stigma stop you, or someone else, from getting help.

Get the facts about depression and anxiety at www.beyondblue.org.au or call 1300 22 4636.

Report from “El Presidente” from September 2011 September saw the Pacific Forum held on the Gold Coast. I, Rob and Tric Smith and Ken and Maureen Bird attended; I was the only one though that was able to wander without a care. Ken and Maureen were kept very busy ensuring that the convention ran smoothly and the guests were well looked after. Rob and Tric undertook the roles as Room Convenors controlling the crowds and ensuring each of their presentations went off without a hitch. The four “did the Club proud’ and for his efforts he was awarded the lions Presidential medal. This was my first attendance at any gathering of this nature and I had an insightful time. The Forum was opened by each attending Club parading around the room holding a large card with the Club name; there were a large number of cards being paraded. The presentations were interesting and well delivered, I believe that I gained a greater understanding on much of what Lions is about and how Club dynamics can affect the effectiveness of the individual Club. International Director Dr Wing Kun Tam provided a presentation to Club Presidents delivered with charisma and a fine sense of humour that was entertaining but also full of information. Particularly interesting was his detailing of the growth of Lionism in China and how the Chinese Government has realised that Lion Clubs can support other Chinese in need; apparently lions has been included in the next Chinese Government 5 year plan. Whilst still having only a small representation approximately 10,000 Lion Club members in Hong Kong and China after a recent earthquake Chinese lions attended to look after the needs of affected people and were still on the ground some weeks after the government recovery effort was completed . Apparently this effort was noted by the Government who advised their appreciation. I was able to meet Dr Tan for a few moments after the presentation for a brief one on one (well maybe 10 words) and a handshake, I had to catch up with Tric who had shaken his hand the previous day. For me I think that during the time that I was able to meet other Lions from other Australian and New Zealand clubs and discussing what they did and how they obtained and retained membership I learnt a lot as well as having a very enjoyable time. A number of Club members attended the Wynnum Up-Late promotion cooking sausages outside the Wynnum Library. It was a successful night though cooking sausages by torchlight has its draw backs. As IGA was close by we kept the risk down by only buying sausages and bread in small quantities though we made about 4 trips to that store. In the end we cooked 130 sausages which we were selling at $1.50 with the Wynnum Chamber of Commerce donating some of onions and some soft drink. In all we came out ahead and I think we had fun on the night. We have agreed to do another BBQ outside the Library at Wynnum on the 12th November Darling Point Fun Run was also attended by 9 Club Members and a Jacqui’s father in law from America also put in a sterling effort, however we were supplied with an incorrect type of serviette which required refolding before it could be used; obviously a lesson in that!. The new Sausage preparation Z plates were again quite a success and enabled the servers to maintain a quick throughput of people. The weather was delightful though the BBQers were kept busy producing sausages and onion which certainly made them look hot but I think overall we had an enjoyable day. The Prostate Fashion Parade raised $585 with a cheque for $500 being forwarded to the Prostate Cancer Research appeal.

I am coming along well after my recent back operation and if I continuing recovering as I have been I am planning to be at the next Dinner meeting. Thank you for those who have been asking after my recovery progress. Thanks also to John for taking over the President’s role during my absence and keeping me up to date on what is happening. The Club has a legal requirement that when working with Children, including Leos, that individually we have each gone through the Blue Card process and hold a current valid Blue Card. A recent request for updated information from Club members produced only 7 current Blue Cards out of a membership of 30. Please consider going through the simple process of filling the form in and producing the evidence of who you are to me as the Club President for sign off and then sending in. Upcoming events are a. Sunday 23rd October. Open garden visit to Rosewood and lunch at the

Rosevale Hotel b. Friday 28th October Bocce evening. Cost $5 per person to include games and

pizza for supper. c. Saturday 29th October. Pink ribbon rides have contacted the club re a BBQ to

be held at Manly Due to the crowding from the markets we have requested that the organisers have taken that into account before we will accept doing the BBQ.

d. Sunday 30th October Metropolitan Funerals are having a community day and

have requested the club to conduct table /stall on Lions. As part of the day the Club has agreed to provide afternoon tea.

e. Tuesday 1st November Melbourne Cup dinner meeting – to include a hat

competition. f. Saturday 12th November Wynnum library BBQ. g. 6th November Children of Courage- award ceremony to be held on the at the

Red Radish Café h. December Christmas party to be held at the Hogs Breath Cafe

“But you don’t look like a marathoner!” This was just one of the many negatively charged responses I received when I told people I was going to run the 2011 Melbourne Marathon. “Why?” was another common response. Nobody could seem to understand why I would willingly put myself through intense physical and mental pain to complete a 42.195km race. I wish I had a definitive answer for them, but I didn’t really know why I was doing it myself, I just hadn’t heard any strong enough reasons why I shouldn’t! With my previous longest running distance being a half marathon, run last year, I didn’t really know how my body would stand up to twice that distance. I had been training as best I could in the weeks leading up to the marathon, but the majority of my training runs were only 4km long and the longest was 10km. But I did watch the marathon themed movie ‘Run Fatboy Run’ the night before the marathon, compensating for my lack of training! On my way to the starting line outside Rod Laver Arena on the morning of the marathon, with my taxi driver telling me how crazy I am, it suddenly dawned on me that this was literally going to take a marathon effort. At least I wasn’t alone though, with 6 000 other crazy competitors also joining me for the run. Knowing my limitations I positioned myself at the back of the group, and when the start siren finally went off it was a good couple of minutes until the crowd before me cleared and I crossed the start line. Aiming for an overall time under 5 hours, the first part of my run was relatively incident free. Slowly the 6 000 strong group started to spread out, and with the body feeling good it was a good chance to take in the Melbourne scenery. I also had to laugh when at the 5km mark (where the course came up alongside the 12km mark) I saw the Kenyan frontrunners pushing past 12km. Only 5km in and I was 7km behind the leaders! But recognising my genetics are much different to those of the Kenyans I pushed on at my own pace, and when I hit the 10km mark it suddenly dawned on me what a massive achievement I was undertaking. With my body and mind feeling great, I was convinced I was going to blitz it in! As I hit the halfway mark however and started moving into unchartered territory, things weren’t going so well. The drink stations, which were placed at every 3km along the course, seemed to be getting further and further apart. Some of my joints started to ache, I had blisters on my feet, my muscles were getting tired and my nipples were chaffing badly. By 26km I was feeling especially sore, and the first serious doubts about my ability to finish the marathon really set in. I just kept trying to inspire myself by saying over and over again, “If it was meant to be easy, everybody would be doing it,” and slowly I kept on my way.

By the 30km mark I could no longer feel my blisters, probably due to the intensity of my other pains! Trying to focus on the positives though, it was about this time that I started to notice the incredibly kind spectators cheering us on despite the race now pushing beyond 3 and a half hours. Many handed out lollies for energy, some handed out chips, one person had a tub of Vaseline for our chaffing, and others simply clapped and smiled. I particularly liked the people holding signs, saying things like “Your perspiration is our inspiration” or “Smile – It’s meant to be a fun run!” Best of all though was a sign at the end of a row of signs which simply said “Stop reading and keep running,” which did provide me with a little comedic relief. I’m not sure if the spectators knew it or not, but their support was instrumental in helping all of us through those last painful kilometres. Early on in the race I tried to imagine how great it would feel to hit the 40km mark, knowing the end was so near. But when I finally did get there I didn’t feel any joy whatsoever, I just wanted this damn thing over! Everybody around me was limping or struggling in some way, but sadly it gave me a little comfort knowing I wasn’t the only one suffering. For the past few km’s I had kept myself going by setting myself little goals, aiming to run to a certain set of traffic lights or building etc, promising myself a small rest when I got there. Doing that over and over again certainly helped break the latter part of the race down into manageable pieces, but by the 40km mark this no longer worked and I was just running on sheer determination. As the MCG finish line approached and the crowd cheers got louder, I pulled out my headphones to soak in the atmosphere. Before I knew it I had rounded the final corner and could finally see the finish line. It was one of the greatest feelings of my life! I suddenly found new strength and sprinted towards the line, passing a couple of other racers to finish in a very respectable 4 hours and 40 minutes. My initial overwhelming feeling was relief, and although I was still in considerable pain, my relief quickly turned into immense satisfaction. Limping off to get a final drink, banana and my finishers medal, I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder to receive a participation medal in all my life! After an excruciatingly slow walk from the MCG to Richmond train station, I finally had time to stop and digest what I had just done. I had run 42.195km! Sure it wasn’t the quickest time, and I know I’m not the first to have done it, but because a marathon is so hard it is more an individual achievement than anything else. It is also something which relatively few people in the world will ever accomplish, and I now feel immensely proud to be part of this exclusive club. But I have no desire to be a repeat member of the marathon club and am more than happy to never run one again. That box is ticked, and it is time to find the next adventure. But at least now for the rest of my life, whenever anyone says to me “You don’t look like a marathoner,” I can now say “Yes, but I am a marathoner!”