When asked if Dubbo needed a cancer centre, the year 6 students at St Mary's Public School are quick to shout "yes'"
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The students had a visit from Rotary Club of Dubbo West member Lyn Smith on Monday to learn about the petition for a cancer centre at Dubbo Hospital.
Tadhg Xu-Glassop said Ms Smith's visit was helping them with their unit on petitions and democracy.
For Cane Settree it was a startling fact about the need for a cancer centre that stuck in his brain.
"We want one because the people in the Parkes electorate live for seven or eight years less than the rest of Australia," he said.
Brock Deveson put it simply: "We need a cancer centre for the people who have cancer".
Ms Smith has been campaigning hard for the centre.
To date, almost 12,000 people have signed the petition and the Coalition has promised to commit $25 million towards the project if re-elected on July 2.
Ms Smith said while there were more people who live on the coast, there were a lot who lived in western NSW and needed the centre.
"I think it's important because everyone is entitled to be treated for their cancer as close to home as possible," she told the students.
"I think nearly everybody has someone close to them who has cancer but it affects people out here more than it does people in Sydney."
