You only get one life

Call it cheesy, call it corny, call it what you will – we only have one life, so it’s important to take care of it!

Blue September is all about making the most of life by ensuring you get checked and, if necessary, treated before it’s too late. The Prostate Cancer Foundation’s annual appeal to raise awareness of men’s health is something that PlaceMakers, as principal sponsor, PlaceMakers has been heavily involved with for years.

However, despite all the events we’ve hosted and money we’ve helped raise, the message isn’t reaching as far as we’d like – one or more men are still dying every day from prostate cancer, which can be treated if detected early enough.

If looking after yourself for your own sake isn’t enough of an incentive, think about how illness could affect those you care about and/or your business.

On page 6, every builder we interviewed about their work/life balance touches on the importance of having time for family and friends. On page 26, Builtin looks at how loss of income due to illness is a common issue in this country – in fact, out of every 1,000 builders off work through disability, 900 will be laid up due to illness, not accident.

While there are ACC options to cover you in this instance, the best approach would be to also avoid illness, such as prostate cancer, wherever possible. If you’ve attended one of our Blue September events – which you can read more about on page 10 – you are hopefully aware of the danger, and we consider that a foot in the door. However, do everyone you care about a favour and take it a step further – go get checked!

In other news, we are pleased to announce that our new Under Construction website is live, and that the popular PlaceMakers Apprentice Crew is now open to all building and construction apprentices. Read more on pages 5 and 7.

Gary Woodhouse
General Manager Operations & Marketing