Hot in the city!!

For those of you who are familiar with Melbourne, you can see from the picture of the Yarra river above that we have arrived and as you have probably heard on the news, it's so hot here! Thankfully it's not in the 40's like it has been in the past few weeks, but it is still hot enough.  I'm not a big fan of the heat, so I'm keeping my hat on and seeing a lot of the shade!

A lot of things have happened since the last post - on Tuesday night I went for dinner with Jan (Robertson from James Cook University), where we talked more about our jobs and life in general.  Meeting Jan has certainly been one of the trip highlights and I'm sure we will keep in contact in the future.  She also gave me a CD of an aboriginal band called Yothu Yindi (see pics below), who have made indigenous music more mainstream.  Thank you Jan!

For some reason, the photo is coming out upside down and I've tried three times to get it the right way round, but I'm not having any luck - sorry!

Before leaving Cairns, we saw this photo in a pub and thought that a lot of people would relate to this!

We flew to Melbourne on Wednesday and left the rain and the gale force winds behind in Cairns.  We went to St Kilda yesterday (about 3 miles from the centre of Melbourne), as there is a beach there.  Meinir and Alun wanted to sunbathe, but as a lot of you know, I can't stand sitting down in the sun (I did try for 15 mins but it was too hot), so I spent the day walking up and down the prom as it was cooler walking than sunbathing.  Unfortunately, I fogot to put sun cream on my neck and I was a nice shade of red by the night.  I usually cover up in the sun, but on this occasion, forgot that I didn't have a high neck t shirt and I am now paying the price.  The sun is very strong here and even 15 mins outside is enough time to burn. Mei and Alun loved it though and sunbathed for a large majority of the day! I also had 15 bites on my legs and 2 on my arms (a presant from the insects in Cairns), so last night I felt like one big itch! Lesson learnt on both fronts.  Here is a picture of St Kilda:

This morning (Friday), I had a meeting with Brian Vandenberg, Senior Policy Advisor for Cancer Council Victoria.  He works also (two days a week), as Executive Officer for National Alliance for Action on Alcohol (NAAA).  The Cancer Council's offices were around 2 miles away from our hotel, so Meinir (the group map reader), kindly got up and navigated me by foot to the offices.  Those who know of my map reading skills probably think that it was a very good idea that Meinir came with me! However, I successfully negotiated my way back on my own without having to ask for directions, which is a first for me!

Brian and I had a very interesting morning discussing his work, whilst also looking at the differences and similarities in the work that's going on in Wales and Australia re: alcohol.  Alcohol is not as much of a priority area in both countries (compared to obesity and tobacco), which is interesting to note, as alcohol misuse is a widespread issues in both countries.  Brian's work with the Cancer Council has a national focus, mainly concerned with taxes on alcohol and alcohol advertising. 

At present, one of the aspects that Brian is working on, is lobbying the Government regarding putting warning labels on alcohol products (similar to plain packaging cigarettes, but not as graphic).  The guidelines for safe use of alcohol in Australia is no more than 2 units on average a day and not more than 4 units in one sitting (binge drinking).  We also discussed the importance of increasing the public's perception that there are no health benefits to be gained from taking up drinking and the conflicting messages that the public are subjected to regarding alcohol.

Interestingly, Brian mentioned that Thailand has notified World Trade Organisation members of it's plans to introduce graphic warning messages on its alcohol products (for examples of the messages, see the link below).
http://www.eurocare.org/library/updates/thailand_notifies_wto_members_of_plans_to_introduce_alcohol_warning_labels

Here is a picture of Brian and I:

 We then went on to discuss the link between sport and alcohol, which is strong in both countries.  Alcohol advertising and sport go hand in hand in both countries, with the Australian cricket team sponsored by a well known beer.  Brian mentioned that there is a ban on advertising during the time when children watch TV (i.e. before 8.30pm), apart from if there's a sporting programme on, where traditionally pulls in high viewing figures.  We also discussed the fact that if there's a major sporting event on, like the 6 nations rugby in the UK, or the Ashes in Australia, then large amounts of alcohol are consumed as part of those sporting events.  There is a massive culture shift to be made - Brian is optimistic that this culture shift will happen, whereas I'm not so convinced!  Here are pictures of the Australian cricket shirt, as well as the Heineken Cup, a rugby tournament in Wales, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland and France.

As I mentioned earlier on, Brian is also Executive Officer for the NAAA, which was set up in 2009.  The NAAA is a national coallition representing more than 70 organisations from across Australia. It aims to highlight the widespread concern in Australia about alcohol related harm.  At present, there is no Alcohol Strategy published by the Australian Government and this is one of the issues that the NAAA is lobbying for.  It also asks the Government to consider a 5 points plan to prevent alcohol related harm, these being:
1.  Reduce harmful drinking through changes to alcohol taxation
2.  Protect children from alcohol marketing and promotions
3.  Improve safety and cut the costs to communities caused by alcohol
4. Give individuals information to make healthier and safer choices
5.  Provide national leadership and motivation for action.

The NAAA have also produced a National Alcohol Policy Scorecard, which scores different states for their policies on alcohol, from regulating physical availability to education and persuasion.  States are then rated on their position on the scorecard, which is very interesting.  Brian is going to forward this document on to me if anybody wants me to forward it to them.

It was a very interesting morning's discussion with Brian, who was very knowledgable about alcohol related issues across Australia.  Thanks Brian for taking the time to meet with me!

On the way to meet Brian this morning, I excitedly saw two examples of plain packaging on the floor (Mei walked away whilst I crouched down to take photos of them!).  Here are the pics:

We are hoping to visit Ramsey Street over the weekend (it's got to be done!), as well as meeting my sister (who lives in Melbourne), with her partner (I am looking forward to seeing her).  Will post soon!