Our special guest speaker for last Monday night’s meeting was Vicki Hamilton from GARDS (Gippsland Asbestos Related Disease Support). Vicki delivered an informative presentation on asbestos exposure and its long‑term effects on people in the Latrobe Valley.
She explained how workers in the power stations and other industrial sites were routinely exposed to asbestos, and how the material remains present in many everyday products — including building materials, car parts, walls, floors, insulation, and exterior cladding.
Vicki also spoke about silicosis, a dust‑related lung disease caused by activities such as cutting or breaking concrete, mining, tunnelling, and sandblasting.
