A special screening of an award-winning documentary about an Elder fighting to reclaim his asbestos-tainted homeland will include a panel discussion with experts from the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases next month.
Yurlu | Country is a moving story that features clinician-researchers from the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases who cared for Banjima Elder Maitland Parker during his journey with mesothelioma.
The film follows Mr Parker's final year as he fights to heal his ancestral lands in the Pilbara – home to the largest uncontained contaminated site in the world.
Image:
Banjima Elder Maitland Parker at Wittenoom. Credit: Illuminate Films
For 80 years, blue asbestos mining and its waste have poisoned Banjima Country. Every Banjima family has been touched by this tragedy, with Aboriginal communities in Western Australia suffering amongst the highest mesothelioma death rates in the world.
The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases brings together leading scientists, clinicians and researchers to prevent, monitor, treat and ultimately cure asbestos-related cancers.
The research spans from laboratory discovery to clinical translation and the clinicians provide expert care at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and lead world-class research through the Institute for Respiratory Health and The University of Western Australia.
The post-screening Q&A panel, which will explore the intersection of clinical care, research and advocacy, includes Professor Gary Lee, world leader in respiratory medicine at UWA, and chief investigator at The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases and Head of Pleural Diseases Research Group at the Institute for Respiratory Health.
Professor Lee will be joined by Dr Wee Loong (Melvin) Chin, a medical oncologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and research leader at The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, Banjima Traditional Owner Johnnell Parker and the film's Walkley Award-winning director and producer Yaara Bou Melhem.
The event acknowledges the dedication and compassion of healthcare professionals caring for people affected by asbestos-related disease and highlights how clinical excellence, research and advocacy work together to improve outcomes.
The health-focused screening is on Monday 10 November at 6.30pm at Windsor Cinema in Nedlands. To book click here.
Image top: Maitland Parker and his wife Margie in Yurlu Country. Credit: Illuminate Films
