Roger Climpson - journalist, newsreader, advocate and icon - is being lauded today as a giant of Australian media and a fixture in our national culture for over 50 years.
For us at the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, we remember a compassionate man and a powerful force for good, a guiding light who changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australians by founding PCFA.
Roger was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1994, and in the aftermath he became one of the first to speak publicly about it, tackling the stigma that leads to silence and late detection head-on.
He said, "I can't think of a quicker way in the world to make the sun disappear. At first I was terribly frightened. I remember lying there at night thinking 'What on earth is going to happen? Nobody in the world seems to know exactly what will occur next - what can I do? What can the specialist do?'"
He candidly spoke about what it was like to face the uncertainty of your own diagnosis and decide on your preferred treatment, and what it was like to have no guarantee of an effective outcome.
Roger's conviction that men needed support, information, encouragement to discuss their experience openly led to him creating the organisation we know today as PCFA.
In a meeting of the Rotary Club of Lane Cove, he and others founded a coalition of men and their partners and families united in their will to take action against a disease that was fast growing in scale and significance. Over nearly 30 years, he helped to guide the mission of PCFA, raised vital funds for research, and supported the expansion of PCFA's work into other areas such as nursing services and fundraising.
Roger's determination to make a difference has helped us to address much of the confusion and uncertainty that accompanies a prostate cancer diagnosis, providing men and their loved ones with information, advice, and life-changing care.
He used his formidable profile to amplify a life-saving message: that early detection dramatically improves outcomes for men. He played a vital role in dissolving the awkwardness that holds so many back from the testing and treatment options that can save their life.
Over the thirty years since, Roger has continued to personally champion our mission, offering men and their partners words of wisdom and encouraging them to access PCFA's support.
Our investments in innovative prostate cancer research and our efforts to raise awareness among governments, health professionals and the general community were sparked by Roger. His deep personal conviction that we must encourage men to get regular health check-ups is today one of PCFA's highest priorities and a remarkable legacy.
Our heartfelt condolences to all who knew and loved him. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.
Vale to a remarkable journalist, and an emblem of strength and hope.
