Clare Oliver

Clare Oliver (25 August 1981 – 13 September 2007) was an Australian woman whose own health crisis prompted her to become an activist, garnering wide media coverage for her campaign to ban the use of tanning beds. She had wanted to become a journalist and wrote a story before her death that was published in newspapers all over the country. Oliver's melanoma was first discovered as part of a health check-up shortly after she had been employed by SBS Television upon completion of a media degree.

Oliver was diagnosed at the age of 21. She gained publicity on 22 August 2007 by announcing in an open letter that she only had days to live due to melanoma and stating her goal was to reach her 26th birthday.^[1] She did, and celebrated at Luna Park in St Kilda, Victoria. Oliver died less than three weeks later, on 13 September at the Caritas Christi Hospice in Kew.^[2][3]

The Australian government has since made previously voluntary code practices mandatory in the use of tanning beds in Australia.^[4][5] The Victorian government introduced new legislation in February 2009 to tighten the control of solariums and prohibit people aged under 18 from using them.^[6][7]

Oliver is survived by her mother, Priscilla Lau Oliver.

Legacy

Oliver's legacy is her vehement disapproval of the use of sunbeds in communities. In her life she campaigned for their complete ban and her legacy pertains to the dangers of sun tanning in general and the destructive nature of skin cancers.

References

1. ^ A tan to die for, The Herald Sun, 23 August 2007.
2. ^ Cancer campaigner Clare Oliver dies, The Age, 13 September 2007.
3. ^ Solarium skin cancer victim Clare Oliver dies, The Herald Sun, 13 September 2007.
4. ^ Crackdown on tanning salons, The Herald Sun, 23 August 2007.
5. ^ Brave Clare gets a boost, The Herald Sun, 24 August 2007.
6. ^ Clare's dying wish to come true
7. ^ Victoriaonline: New solarium regulations for Victoria

External links

• Clare Oliver Melanoma Fund
• ABC 7.30 Report video: 'The Dangers of a Deadly Tan', 21 August 2007. This was Clare's first public warning on the dangers of solarium use.
• ABC Extended Interview with Clare Oliver

Persondata
Name	Oliver, Clare
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	25 August 1981
Place of birth
Date of death	13 September 2007
Place of death