NWGACarGuy, thank you for your valuable reply. You have moved my 50/50 position on doing an oil change now to a 80/20 in favour of. I already have the materials so it will only require me to endure once again getting oil up to my armpits in an attempt to keep it all in the recovery pan. A small price to pay for the peace of mind knowing that the engine will at least be happy!
Thanks also for the other responses.