22/01/2025
Rabobank’s NSW Client Council has partnered with the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation to provide free skin checks for the Yass community.
The foundation’s Skin Check Truck – Australia’s first mobile skin health program –provides specialist services to communities who otherwise may not be able to access a similar service, while further educating them on skin cancer and how to take preventative measures.
The Skin Check Truck will be in Yass on Friday, 7 February, 2025, at the Council Carpark, Lead Street, running from 8am to 4pm.
The Yass event has been spearheaded and funded by food and agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank’s Rabo Client Council, a group of the bank’s farming clients who volunteer their time implementing programs that contribute to the sustainability of rural and regional communities.
Rabobank’s NSW Client Council member and Gunning-based sheep and cattle producer Lucy Knight said unfortunately skin cancer has become known as “the farmer’s cancer”.
“Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world,” Mrs Knight said. “And its important people in rural communities – particularly farmers – are proactive.”
“Research from the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation shows farmers have a 60 per cent higher death rate from melanoma compared to the general population and skin cancer deaths in farmers over 65 are double compared to other Australians,” she said.
“The Rabo Client Council is pleased to be able to support a proactive program aimed at turning around these awful statistics.”
Mrs Knight said the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation’s mission aligns well with one of the Rabo Client Council key aims of improving rural health and wellbeing.
The Australian Skin Cancer Foundation launched Australia’s first mobile National Skin Check Truck in June 2023. Since launching, the Skin Check Truck has undertaken 8288 individual skin checks and identified 33 melanomas.
Mrs Knight said being able to access the service locally, and not having to drive hundreds of kilometres, significantly reduced delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Mrs Knight encouraged local farming families to also bring their staff along for a skin check and “do something proactive in addressing a health challenge that is so prevalent in the bush”.
Rabobank state manager for NSW Toby Mendl said Rabobank’s Client Councils are helping rural communities thrive.
“Together with the local Client Council members, we listen and learn about the issues that are most important to our clients, communities and the wider food and agriculture industry,” he said.
“The Rabo Client Council network is focussed on developing and implementing meaningful national and local grassroots initiatives supporting key themes that will have a long-term positive impact on the ground, including building industry capacity, championing rural-wellbeing, sustainability, and strengthening the rural urban connection.”
Staff from Rabobank’s Goulburn and Wagga Wagga branches will be supporting the Yass event and cooking a sausage sizzle from 11am to 2pm – with a gold coin donation going towards the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation.
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 125 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 38 countries, servicing the needs of more than nine million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 87 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Media Contacts:
Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: 02 8115 2744 or 0439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com
Will Banks
Media Relations Manager
Rabobank Australia
Phone: 0418 216 103
Email: will.banks@rabobank.com