The news early last week that Walcha has the second highest rate of skin cancer in NSW has prompted Cancer Council NSW to bring forward the introduction of its award-winning Sun Sound campaign to Walcha.
From today, the first day of summer, Sun Sound will be played at regular intervals at the Walcha Pool to remind everyone to take precaution against the damaging rays of the sun.
“Sun Sound is a catchy five-second jingle designed to be played at regular intervals on loud speakers at beaches, pools and sports grounds,” said Shaen Fraser -Regional Programs and Operations Coordinator at the Cancer Council, North West Regional Office.
“It’s a friendly reminder to protect your skin from the sun.”
Sun Sound was produced by renowned Australian musician Ben Lee and Sony Music.
Sun Sound’s launch in NSW in summer 2009 attracted widespread national and international media coverage. Sun Sound has been internationally recognised for creative innovation at award ceremonies in New York, France, London and Australia.
“Sun Sound was successfully trialled at beaches and pools, and shown to be effective in prompting young people to protect their skin,” Ms Fraser said.
Surveys with 1035 youth in summer 2011 highlighted the positive impact:
“Due to strong community support, Sun Sound is now expanding to select areas across Australia and last week Walcha Council agreed to support the initiative at the local pool,” Ms Fraser continued.
“When we launched the program on Monday, local Farmer Wants a Wife stars Charlie Norton and Alison Jones were on hand to show their support, which we really appreciated.”
The Cancer Council’s North West office has revealed that young Australians are changing their attitudes towards tanning with fewer seeking the bronzed look
than ever before.
The research shows the preference for a suntan among 12 to 17 year-olds has steadily dropped, down to 45 per cent since the previous surveys (51 per cent in 2006-07 and 60 per cent in 2003-04), according to the latest National Sun Protection Survey conducted in summer 2010-11.
Ms Fraser said the survey demonstrated Australia’s public health campaigns were beginning to show real results that would, over time, lead to a reduction in skin cancer rates.
“The sun protection message is starting to cut through, with teens more aware of the risks of tanning and sunburn,” she said. “While these are encouraging results,
we’ve still got a big job to convince the remaining 45 per cent of teens to ditch the tan.”
Good news from the survey was tempered by the finding that one in five teens was still getting burnt on a typical weekend in summer.
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