Former cricketer goes into bat for men’s health

Retired professional cricketer Lee Carseldine is taking the bat to strokes after a personal experience with one of the biggest killers of men in Australia.

Former Queensland cricket Lee Carseldine.

Retired professional cricketer and entrepreneur Lee Carseldine is seeking to hit strokes for a six. Carseldine is among the famous Aussies who have recorded video messages as part of the Bloke Beside You campaign that aims to educate men about the danger of strokes.

Data from the Stroke Foundation shows that 45 per cent of Australian men would not recognise any of the three most common signs of stroke - facial droop, arms not working and slurred speech (known by the initialism F.A.S.T.). That means they are unlikely to understand the importance of getting urgent medical treatment.

Carseldine has personal experience with stroke when his dad suffered one in 2006 only to be devastated when his mum suffered a catastrophic fatal stroke four years ago. Carseldine, a former Bulls star player and founder of drone firm Droneit Group, has since dedicated his time to raising awareness of the risks and signs of stroke in the hope that other families do not go through the same experience.

Stroke Foundation chief executive Lisa Murphy says the former cricketer’s years of advocacy for stroke education will have undoubtedly changed lives across Australia.

“Lee’s family has been through so much yet his willingness to share that personal story to help others never wavers,” says Murphy. The Bloke Beside You campaign has been launched in conjunction with International Men’s Health Week, which has the theme of healthy habits.

Former Queensland cricket Lee Carseldine.

Noosa Mining Conference charity

Noosa Mining Conference is joining forces with its main sponsor Morgans to support Big Dry Friday (BDF) in the lead up to this year’s July conference.

BDF involves people once a year foregoing what they might spend on a nice Friday lunch or drinks and donating it to support rural Australia.

Noosa Mining convener Phil Dickinson says that since its launch in 2018, the BDF team with the help of regionally focused businesses, their staff and clients across Australia, has raised and distributed more than $4.7 million to rural charities.

As part of its commitment, Noosa Mining will donate $100 from every registration fee collected during the first week of June to BDF.

This year BDF is on Friday August 4 and will be raising funds for Rural Aid, Schools Plus, Outback Futures and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Noosa Mining Conference will be held at Peppers Resort from July 19-21.

Phil Dickinson, organiser of the Noosa Mining Conference.

Midnight Health milestone

Brisbane serial entrepreneur Nic Blair is on a roll, with his health-tech startup Midnight Health achieving the milestone of 100,000 patient consultations, a large proportion from regional and remote areas. Midnight Health, founded by 36-year-old Blair and Matt Anderson in 2021 allows people to access a range of services including telehealth consultations, home delivered prescription medicines, skin care treatments and birth control.

Midnight Health, which operates under a number of brands including Youly and men’s health platform Stagger, attracted national headlines when it offered an emergency delivery service for the morning after contraceptive pill.

Midnight Health founder and chief executive Nic Blair.