The AVN had its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 30th. I was very lucky, blessed and, let’s face it, relieved to be able to step down as President (once again) in favour of Aneeta Hafemeister, a woman who has been an active member of our committee for many years. 

Aneeta’s knowledge about this issue and enthusiasm for helping and supporting Australian families with their vaccination decisions is second to none. 

She will be introducing herself to our members shortly but I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank both the AVN’s Committee and our members who have been so marvellous about coming forward to help both myself and the AVN over my time as President.

As I said above, I am stepping down but I am NOT stepping away from either the AVN Committee, where I will still be a member, or this issue. 

I have a major project that I’ve been working on with the organisation for the last few months. It is nearly ready to launch and though I’ve hinted at it in the last couple of FaceBook lives, I haven’t yet reached the point where I can reveal the ‘secret’. It won’t be long though so stay tuned and keep reading our newsletters and following the AVN on Facebook as the initial announcement will be made there.

Though I know that many in our community are fearful of the future, what with the government, the media and the medical community pushing so hard to take away our rights and the rights of our children when it comes to informed medical choices, the only thing I can stress is that if we stand united, they will fail. Pure and simple.

A recent survey in the United States where vaccination has been compulsory for school entry since 1978 and where plans are afoot to remove ALL exemptions including medical (much like Australia under No Jab No Pay), showed that 45% of Americans do not believe that vaccines are safe. 

No matter how hard the authorities work at trying to convince us that what we’ve seen with our own eyes and experienced with our families and our communities isn’t real, we are too smart to continue being fooled by them.

Social media and government are trying to drive a wedge between Australians on this issue and in some parts of the community, their efforts have been successful. But it is only through us raising our voices and being brave about our decisions and knowledge that we will overcome their bigotry and bullying. 

We have the power to preserve our rights - we just need to use it. We need to know we are not alone. The AVN has been there for you for a quarter of a century and we plan on continuing to be there for as long as we’re needed.

This year is the 25th Anniversary of the AVN. We are still thinking about how to celebrate this milestone. Please let us know what you think would be an appropriate way to commemorate the occasion. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast - 3 screenings ONLY

This must-watch video details the many problems with the development and safety of Merck’s third-highest grossing product, Gardasil. Children’s Health Defense (CHD) and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., CHD’s Chairman and Chief Legal Counsel, ask that you watch this video so that you, and others, may make an informed decision of whether or not to give your child, boy or girl, a Gardasil vaccine. It can also be a useful tool for paediatricians who are trying to understand how this vaccine, that is actually causing health problems with young people, could have been approved by FDA and then recommended by CDC. The video is full of jaw-dropping facts about Gardasil and the clinical trials leading up to its release upon an unsuspecting public.

This notice (above) appeared in Monday's Courier Mail newspaper. The AVN can vouch for the people running this new national support group so if you can share this amongst your networks, that would be great. If you need help and support, please contact them. Your information will be held in the strictest confidence.