Daron Jacks Media

30/11/2024

DECEMBEARD STARTS TOMORROW! "I'd had my head up my arse for too long. At least a year, maybe four.

I ignored the symptoms, made excuses and sucked it up when I shouldn't have - blood in the toilet, excessive visits to the dunny around the clock, sudden weight loss, abdominal cramps, and saturating night sweats. All things I could find an excuse for.

I was very fit for my age (47 at the time), daily exercise and footy on weekends, but the pandemic locked down the planet and it felt like physical changes I had ignored for a long time soon came to the fore.

So, in January 2021, I had a colonoscopy that found a 5cm tumour on my colon.

I named that tumour Bruce after a former neighbour who was a total pain in the arse.

I had to undergo six sessions of chemotherapy, two months after surgery, when it was confirmed as Stage 3 cancer.

This meant not working for six months, in fact it meant I would feel crap for most of it – physically and mentally.

Making simple decisions to do small things like fold washing became unbearable. I felt utterly useless… So, anxiety became a side effect.

Some days it was background noise other days it was simply mapping out a walk and making sure I knew where the public toilets were… because after bowel surgery and chemo, sometimes, just sometimes, that fart may not be a fart!

Absurdly, all this was avoidable had I acted as soon symptoms appeared. Seeing a GP for a checkup and a colonoscopy would have detected the tumour when it was a polyp, had it cut out during the procedure, and then more than likely I would have gone on with my life as normal.

I’m fortunate to be able to do all the activities I enjoyed before my diagnosis, but others aren’t so lucky.

So, don't ignore symptoms, get checked early. It can save your life." ~ Daron.

Now in its twelfth year, Bowel Cancer Australia’s annual hair–raising fundraiser encourages men to grow or challenge their beard, raise funds and awareness to help make real change happen.

Are you ready to grow? Register now at decembeard.org.au, make a donation and/or share your empowering story.

07/02/2023

I was having one of those moments where I flashed to a story I had long forgotten writing.

A story about a selfie-taking primate and its right to owning its image. Sounds rather woke eight years later, but this is a story I wrote for the Melbourne Law School's 'Pursuit' site in 2015.

The right to ownership of a curious monkey’s selfie has highlighted key questions around animal rights and the law, demonstrating a need to rethink recognition of animal rights

When monkeys in Indonesia used nature photographer David Slater's camera to take selfies, no one thought of the issue of animal rights it would throw up.

31/10/2022

Bad to the creaking bones!

Visit the post for more.

29/04/2022

It's so good to be out of lockdowns and seeing live music again... occasionally I get to review a live show.
Here's my review of the The Smith Street Band at the Macedon Railway Hotel last Saturday.
Great band, fabulous venue.

FeaturedNews BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Releases Brand New Music Video for Singl e ‘You Made Me Want To Live’ April 27, 2022 STM

04/04/2022

Today's Herald Sun.

21/03/2022

A former journalist, Daron Jacks from Woodend is not used to being on the other side of the table. But …

17/02/2021

Having recently been sidelined with bowel cancer, I've been blogging about the journey as a way to keep a diary of events, to encourage others not to ignore symptoms and above all to act as creative therapy while I recover and laugh at a disease many struggle to find funny.
I swear and overshare but laughter is the best medicine and sarcasm is how I hug.
Enjoy.

Mutterings, utterings and s**t jokes about my bowel cancer journey.
I swear, overshare and writing i

10/11/2020

Beleaguered Chinese machinery importer Agrison has been hit with a $10 million bill for a devastating fire that burnt 4000ha and a dozen homes, and now faces a class action by irate customers.

An investigation by The Weekly Times into cheap Chinese machinery importer Agrison has uncovered more details of poor quality or unsafe machinery, including the company facing a $10 million bill for a devastating fire that burnt 4000ha and a dozen homes.

10/11/2020

Feel like popping a cork today. After years of sitting on a story all the cards fell the right way and I could finally expose a company for what it really is. I never expected this gem to fall in my lap.

Beleaguered Chinese machinery importer Agrison has been forced to pay fire victims $10 million after one of its tractors caused a devastating fire in 2015 that destroyed more than 80 properties.

03/11/2020

Mark Henshall bought an Agrison mini excavator in August, but it began to fall apart soon after delivery. It hasn’t left his nature strip in over 12 months after it broke down, and Agrison still won’t repair it.
I spoke to many others with the same story of getting ripped off.

Mark Henshall bought an Agrison ME1000 Mini Excavator in August last year to set up his contracting business around Nyah, NSW.

03/11/2020

Don't buy an Agrison tractor. That’s the advice from dozens of angry customers who say they have been burnt by the Australian importer of budget Chinese machinery.

DON’T buy an Agrison tractor. That’s the advice from dozens of angry customers who say they have been burnt by the Australian importer of budget Chinese machinery.

13/10/2020

That old-school feeling and smell of print in the morning.