20 Victoria Branch Spectrum September 2010

The Victoria Branch hosted a Christmas in July, the med educa-tion weekend at the Licola Wilderness Village, three hours from the CBD of Melbourne on 24th and 25th of July. The small but spirited group in attendance was met with friendly hospitality and a hearty supper which was well received after the windy journey.

Saturday morning began with a festive welcome from Gillian Tickall followed by a very relevant presentation given by Lori McLeod. Lori gave some useful tips on Preparing and Presenting Papers, Case Studies and Yourself. The talk would prove invalu-able for those who were presenting at the conference!

Megan Cramp followed with an insightful look into the original healthcare practices of the traditional landowners. Her presentation was well received and proved to be an interesting topic of conversation for the weekend.

Bruce Harvey gave a great presentation on his Japanese exchange trip. He discussed some of the differences between the healthcare systems of our two nations, interrelations from a professional view point as well as the challenges faced by a tourist in Tokyo.

Following a scrumptious morning tea, prepared by our chef for the weekend Janet, we were addressed by Tony Smith. Tony had made the journey from Tamworth, Northern NSW and gave a great presentation on Rural and Remote Medical Imaging Education and Practice in Australia. Tony highlighted some of the disparities between healthcare in urban and remote Australia and raised some extremely interesting points about the distribu-tion of allied health professionals across the country.

The afternoon session provided an opportunity for attendants to take a break from the information packed day and partake in outdoor activities provided by the wilderness village. These included archery, a giant swing that was definitely not for the faint hearted, and a hike up the mountain to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area.

The formal presentations reconvened with a talk from Kay Hatherly who recently attended an international conference on computers in RT and EPI. Kay was an inspiring presenter and really sparked interest in this topic.

Yuletide cheer overflows at Licola Wilderness VillageTori McCollom

Sinead Lacey then presented her research on diagnostic reference levels for angiography, fluoroscopy and theatre at the Alfred Hospital.

The last presenter for the evening was Olivia Roles. Olivia spoke on IV contrast in CT. She outlined some of the alternatives to iodinated contrast agents she had studied and the results of her research into the topic.

It was then time for the highly anticipated Christmas Dinner which Gill and Janet had spent the majority of the day prepar-ing. It was well worth the wait and came adorned with all the trimmings one expects at Christmas. BonBons and crackling were the perfect backdrop to a very social evening where great conversation flowed. Even Santa could not resist the temptation to drop in for some Yuletide cheer!

Bruce Harvey was the first to present on Sunday morning. He gave a very relevant talk on imaging of the knee and in par-ticular knee prosthetics. A lot was taken from this talk by all.

David Collier then addressed the group and outlined some of the projects the AIR is undertaking currently, as well as where the institute is heading in the future.

To conclude the weekend Erin Whitmore presented an interesting look at the multidisciplinary team within the field of radiation therapy and Melinda Coupland Thorne delved into the world of the founding fathers of the profession.

Thank you to all those in the Vic Branch who delivered a fun, informative, and very festive weekend. It will be well remem-bered by all those who attended.