The volunteer group, which formed in 1991, will have its much-anticipated Nambucca Valley Cancer Resource Centre included in the soon-to-be-built Macksville Hospital.

The volunteers’ hard work over more than two decades was celebrated last Friday at a special function in the group’s existing meeting room within the grounds of Macksville District Hospital.

Special guests included Minister for Roads Maritime and Freight and Member for Oxley Melinda Pavey, Nambucca Shire Mayor Rhonda Hoban, MNCLHD Governing Board Chair Warren Grimshaw AM, Governing Board member Janine Reed, and Macksville Hospital’s Executive Officer/Director of Nursing Janelle Goodall.

Adding financial weight to commitment, the group handed $420,000 to the Macksville Hospital Development Project towards the new centre.

The group’s president, Irene Rowsell, said the centre would have a prominent location, would be much larger than the existing meeting room and would be self-contained with storage for use of the support group.

“We’ve worked hard over many years to raise these funds and had a responsibility to our community to ensure we not only had a centre that represented value for money but would serve the needs of the Nambucca community for many years to come,” Irene said.

“We’ve done it! This will be a brilliant community facility with a secure future that will be an education and resource centre for cancer patients and their carers and loved ones.

“This has been a big project for our volunteers. At times it has been challenging, but the new centre will be a win-win for our community and we couldn’t be happier.

“Of course, it would not have been possible without the support of the community. This commitment represents years of community donations, so to every single person who bought a raffle ticket, supported our fundraising activities or made a personal donation, we say thank you.

“Also with us from the start has been the Macksville Palliative Care team. Their care and compassion is second to none – they go above and beyond for cancer patients.”

Irene also thanked members of the Macksville Hospital Development Project Team, Mark Wilson and Mark Tyler, who worked with the volunteers to ensure a purpose-built and fitted-out facility will meet the expectations of the group, its members and the broader community.

Macksville Hospital’s Executive Officer/Director of Nursing Janelle Goodall said the support group’s volunteers were creating an intergenerational legacy for the Nambucca Valley community.

Although the resource centre is within sight, Irene said it did not mean the end of the group’s fundraising activities.

“The cancer support group will continue to raise much-needed funds in our community so that we can continue to purchase equipment that can be loaned to patients and carers to make life at home more comfortable,” she said.

The group’s next fundraiser will be raffle ticket sales at the Valley Players performance at Nambucca Heads Entertainment Centre on July 27, 28 and 29.

Anyone wanting to volunteer with the support group should contact Irene on 6568 9090.