Gawler Foundation Media

Wednesday 25 November.

Ian Gawler to receive kindness trust medal

Retiring from Gawler Foundation after 27 years

On the cusp of his retirement from The Gawler Foundation, Dr Ian Gawler OAM will be honoured with the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust Gold Medal next Monday 30 November at 2pm.

The kindness trust medal is presented annually and honours the recipient for a lifetime’s work; recognising superlative efforts performed in the service of human and non-human animals.

This will be an opportunity for media to talk with Ian about not only the winning of this prestigious award, but his retirement from the Foundation that he has dedicated his life to for the past 27 years.

Event: Ian Gawler to receive Winsome Constance Kindness Trust Medal

Location: The Gawler Foundation’s Yarra Valley Living Centre,
55 Rayner Court Yarra Junction
Melways Ref: 288 J12

Date/time: Monday 30 November at 2pm.

For more information about the medal visit :                      www.kindnesstrust.com

For more information on The Gawler Foundation visit:  www.gawler.org

Past recipients of the medal include:

• 2009 Kindness Trust Medal recipient: Dr Jane Goodall
• 2008 Kindness Trust Medal recipient: Smt Maneka Gandhi
• 2007 Kindness Trust Medal recipient: Captain  Paul Watson
• 2006 Kindness Trust Medal recipient: Ms Jill Robinson MBE
• 2005 Kindness Trust Medal recipient: Ms Christine Townend
• 2004 Kindness Trust Medal recipient: Sri Pradeep Kumar Nath

Jon Faine from ABC 774 Melbourne will moderate an intriguing panel discussion on the challenges, opportunities and vision for the future of integrative cancer management at this year’s Profound Healing – Sustainable Wellbeing conference at Melbourne’s Hilton on the Park.

Joining Faine on the panel is Cancer Council Australia CEO Prof Ian Olver, long term cancer survivors Dr Ian Gawler and Petrea King, along with GP and Monash University senior lecturer Dr Craig Hassed.

This significant panel discussion is just one part of the informative and inspirational program at this year’s Gawler Foundation conference, to be held on Saturday and Sunday November 14 and 15.

“This panel clearly illustrates that the gap that once existed between mainstream medical care of cancer patients and organisations such as The Gawler Foundation is continuing to be bridged,” said Karin Knoester, Gawler Foundation CEO.

“Twenty years ago I don’t imagine that this sort of discussion would have taken place in the way in which we’ll see it at this year’s conference,” Ms Knoester said.

“There is a real understanding now that mainstream medicine and the sort of lifestyle programs offered by The Gawler Foundation can and do work well together in an integrative framework.”

Run annually over two days, The Profound Healing – Sustainable Wellbeing conference brings together 16 recognised world leaders in the field of Mind-Body Medicine to share their research and practice through a series of keynote addresses and interactive workshops.

This exciting and enlightening program is ideal for anyone interested in learning about prevention and wellbeing to enhance their own health and for people, their families and carers affected by cancer, multiple sclerosis or other chronic illness.

Health professionals who attend the conference can also qualify for Royal Australian College of General Practitioners training points.

For more information and to download the conference program and registration forms, visit www.gawler.org or call (03) 59671730.

Biographies:

Jon Faine:

After seven years as a lawyer, Jon entered radio broadcasting in 1989. He has been presenting the morning program on 774 ABC Melbourne since 1997. Known for his provocative and probing debate, quick wit and willingness to ask the stickiest of questions, Jon Faine delivers thought-provoking radio.

Dr Ian Gawler OAM BVSc MCounsHS:

Founder of The Gawler Foundation, Ian is a pioneer in the development and application of meditation and other mind-body medicine techniques. With initial training in Veterinary Science, Ian holds a Masters degree in Counselling and Human Services.

Dr Craig Hassed MBBS FRACGP:

A GP and Senior Lecturer at Monash University, Dept of General Practice, Craig’s teaching, research and clinical interests involve mindfulness-based stress management, mind-body medicine, meditation, holistic healthcare, integrative medicine and medical ethics.

Petrea King ND DBM DRM Dip Cl Hyp IYTA:

Petrea is a best-selling author of eight books and a dozen meditation CDs. She is the Founding Director of the Quest for Life Foundation. Since her recovery from leukaemia in 1984, Petrea has inspired people facing life’s greatest challenges to make meaning of their circumstances.

Professor Ian Olver MD PhD CMin FRACP FAChPM MRACM:

CEO of the Cancer Council of Australia, Prof Olver has been a practicing oncologist for over 25 years.

He completed a PhD in bioethics exploring life and death issues, trained in medical oncology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Alfred Hospital and University of Maryland Cancer Centre in Baltimore.

Tweed Heads Weekly – September 4

REMARKABLE RECOVERIES from diagnosed terminal illness can be courageous and inspiring, but the most admirable people are often those who maintain balanced and healthy lifestyles · without contracting major health complaints, according to lifestyle consultant Ian Gawler.

The Victorian-based cancer survivor has spent the past three decades travelling the country to teach people how good diet, natural medicine and general’ healthy living can help deal with serious illness such as cancer. They are all lifestyle choices he employed to successfully beat deadly bone cancer 30 years ago, lending extra weight to .the Inner Peace, Outer Health seminar he will present in Tweed Heads on September 8.

“However, the people I really admire are those who are fit and well but appreciate that life is precious and make good choices in dealing with modern life he said! They tend to be quite questioning, take responsibility for their decisions and are committed to their objectives of what is really important in life.”

So while this month’s seminar is linked to his Gawler Foundation’s I cancer self help program – a 12-week course starting in the Tweed on September 16 – Inner Peace, Outer Health was aimed equally at people who were generally healthy and  looking to stay that way. Ian, teacher of meditation and natural medicines, said one of the seminar’s roles was to act as a circuit breaker to get people out of poor lifestyle routines. He said serious illness proved ultimately to be a positive step in many people’s lives because it prompted them to reconsider what was really important and to adopt better lifestyle choices. It extracted them from the spiralling vicious cycle of busy lives spent pursuing the ideal of material wealth.

“It’s clear these days that a lot of people are looking for happiness outside themselves. They believe they will be happy if they have a good job and nice possessions. “They can help, but we all know people who have a lot of material wealth but aren’t happy and other who don’t have much but are very content.”

Ian was working as a vet when he developed bone’: cancer in his left leg in 1975. Conventional thinking at the time meant the leg was swiftly amputated but Ian had to look for other options when the cancer, osteogenic sarcoma, recurred.

“I was told I had a 5% chance of being alive in five years.  I refused to ‘ accept the prognosis and my inquiring vet’s mind led me to explore the therapeutic side of nutrition,” he said.

“Mind-body medicine was in its early days in Australia, so I looked further afield for alternatives. “When I · became well after a couple of years, it was clear the things that helped me were not readily available in Australia, so it became my full-time job.” His recovery led to the creation of the not-for-profit Gawler Foundation.

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My Career – The Age, Saturday 22nd September

DR IAN GAWLER
This doctor might have
battled cancer but he wasn’t
able to stomach lunchtimes at
the abattoir.

MY FIRST JOB was as a “boba-
job” cub aged about 10. I
loved knocking on people’s
doors and being surprised.
There was car washing, digging
in the garden, cleaning up
rubbish, Mostly genuine
kindness, occasional gruffness
but overall a great opportunity
to meet my local
neighbourhood, have fun and
raise some money.

MY WORST JOB was at the
end of first-year veterinary
science studies. I was very
keen on anatomy and thought
if I worked in an abattoir over
the holidays, I could learn more
about it. The fellow I signed on
with had a knife in his left sock
“for protection”. At lunchtime
there was a stampede to the
killing pens so people could eat
their lunch and grab a prime
spot from which to watch the
killing. I was assigned to the
end of a conveyor belt to pack
cans of dog food . I lasted three
days and went to work as a
brickie’s labourer.

EFFIE MANN
Ian Gawler is the founder of
The Gawler Foundation.

www.gawler.org

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