New hearing-impaired support group Cicada comes to Mackay

A former underground mine rescuer has shared how becoming completely deaf in one ear made him “panic”, as no one near him knew what to do. Now he wants to make sure all hearing-impaired people have a place to turn to closer to home.

Volunteer Lindsay is starting the Mackay Cicada branch in July. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

An Airlie Beach resident who went completely deaf in one ear had to face his struggle alone, and now he wants to make sure anyone with hearing impairments has a place to turn to closer to home.

Lindsay Creighton, 69, has had his fair share of responsibility to bear throughout his adult life, having worked as an underground mine rescuer and a firefighter, but one thing he never had control over was his hearing.

Back in the 80s, when he worked at a mine in Western Australia, an audiology survey had already identified his hearing diminish in his right ear.

And since then, he’s had to adapt to having an impairment, wearing hearing aids with all the issues they entail, such as when the technology amplifies the sound of the fan instead of the sound of someone’s voice at a meeting.

Volunteer Lindsay Creighton who is starting the Mackay Cicada branch in July, at his Jubilee Pocket house. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

Some years back, he lost complete hearing in his right ear overnight, which led him to getting a Cochlear implant.

“When I went deaf, I panicked,” he said, adding that the closest place he could find support was Townsville, where he went to his first Cicada group.

Cidada is a non-for-profit that aims to help people with hearing impairments get informed on what options are available to them, and help them navigate the process of adapting to hearing aids or implants.

Audiology is one of few Australian health professions that are not regulated.

This has led to audiologists voicing their concerns that product manufacturers are taking advantage of holes in the system and targeting people with hearing loss to spruik hearing aids and other items.

Cicada CO John Ross explains that medical professionals are often too busy with appointments, and don’t have enough time to explain all the intricacies of implant solutions.

“For someone with hearing loss, this decision isn’t simple or straightforward,” he said.

“The benefit of Cicada is that we fill this gap.”

Mackay resident Gus Sacco was among the first Mackay residents to receive a Cochlear implant in the region, and it was worth it for the moment he started to “hear the leaves rushing along the ground in the wind”, or the sound of his “own footsteps”.

But the decision to get an implant was not an easy one.

He had to decide whether it was better to experience people’s voices as normal, but struggle to hear them, or have them changed and audible thanks to the Cochlear.

“It’s the chipmunks all the time,” he explains about how the technology is able to recreate sounds for him.

“You probably sound different to what I’m hearing.”

Gus Sacco was among the first to receive a cochlear implant in the Mackay region. Picture: Contributed

Mr Creighton says a lot of North Queenslanders are used to the “fly in fly out” to get to medical appointments, which means they don’t get additional support once they get home.

With the upcoming opening of a Cicada branch in Mackay, Mr Creighton hopes that gap can be closed.

“This will be a forum type group, where people searching for answers cannot only hear about options to help them, but have somewhere to ask all the hard, silly and easy questions,” he said.

The first support group will be held at the Jubilee Community Centre in Mackay from 10am.

If you would like more information about the meetings, you can reach out to Lindsay at 0458003772, or email at [e-mail]