Dave Clune’s Journey: A Life Transformed by Hepatitis and a Second Chance
"I do not know how I contracted viral hepatitis. Possible causes include childhood sexual abuse, needle sharing for drug use, or tattoos received as a teenager."
A Diagnosis in the 1980s
Dave Clune, a 67-year-old grandfather from Russell Island in Moreton Bay, Queensland, was diagnosed with chronic viral hepatitis in the 1980s while living in New Zealand. He has never been able to pinpoint the exact cause of his infection.
A Lifelong Partnership
Clune met his partner, Grace Trepels, at a nightclub in Milford, New Zealand, when he was just 16. They have been together for nearly 50 years. After experiencing stigma in New Zealand due to his hepatitis diagnosis, the couple moved to Australia with their four children.
Living with Chronic Hepatitis
Chronic viral hepatitis prevented Clune from holding regular employment. To support their family, he and Trepels created their own jobs—mowing lawns, cleaning houses, and collecting scrap metal.
A Life-Changing Transplant
In 2009, Clune received a liver transplant at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. During the surgery, doctors also replaced one of his kidneys. Both organs came from the same donor.
"The transplant changed my outlook on life," Clune says.
The Bigger Picture: Liver Cancer in Queensland
Hepatitis B and C cause approximately half of all liver cancer cases in Queensland. A joint report by Hepatitis Queensland and Cancer Council Queensland reveals striking trends:
- Liver cancer mortality has more than tripled since the 1980s.
- Death rates rose from 1.6 per 100,000 in the 1980s to 5.1 per 100,000 in 2018–2022.
The report estimates that about 48,000 Queenslanders are currently living with chronic hepatitis B or C, with 20–30% of cases remaining undiagnosed.
Who Is Most at Risk?
The report identifies high-risk groups, including:
- People in regional and remote areas
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Migrant families
- People in poverty
- Prisoners
Indigenous Queenslanders experience 2.5 times the liver cancer incidence and substantially poorer survival rates compared to the rest of the population.
Survival Rates Improving
Five-year relative survival for liver cancer has improved significantly:
- 1980s: 8.6%
- 2018–2022: 24.1%
Hepatitis C Symptoms: Silent or Flu-Like
Symptoms can be subtle, including fatigue and fever.
Recommendations for Change
To address these disparities, the report calls for:
- Culturally safe screening and treatment pathways for Indigenous communities
- Expansion of telemedicine and outreach clinics in regional areas
- More community-based testing in high-prevalence settings such as prisons and mental health services
Queensland Health’s Response
Queensland Health confirmed that the state’s hepatitis B and C plans already address these recommendations, including boosting access to screening, early detection, and treatment, while closing healthcare gaps in at-risk communities.