THE COMMUNITY campaign to establish an integrated cancer centre at Dubbo Hospital has acquired star power.
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Ita Buttrose, Julia Morris, Jonathan Coleman, Angela Bishop, Jo Casamento, John Caldwell, Prue MacSween, Alex Cullen, Marcia Langton, Jackie O, Professor Kerryn Phelps and Professor David Morris are some of the celebrities and influential Australians who have joined the campaign.
Individual photographs of some of the celebrities have been posted on A Cancer Centre for Dubbo Hospital Facebook page.
All of the new recruits are holding a sign that declares "I Support A Cancer Centre for Dubbo #treatmentclosertohome".
They have lent their names to the campaign at the request of a young man who has a history of backing good causes.
Dubbo's Sam McCauley, 20, made useful connections after launching a change.org petition in 2013 that saved the life of Sydney mother Nicole Perko.
High-profile Australians including Russell Crowe, Jennifer Hawkins and the late Charlotte Dawson got behind the petition that attracted more than 75,000 signatures and encouraged the state government to boost access to complicated stomach cancer surgery.
This week Mr McCauley paid tribute to the work of the "amazing team" behind the current campaign, including the Rotary Club of Dubbo West's Lyn Smith and architect of the campaign's social media presence, Franny Peters-Little of the Jimmy Little Foundation.
The campaign includes a petition that has been distributed across the western region and is destined for the Federal Parliament.
Mr McCauley's decision to actively support the campaign was prompted by "news that the ALP (Australian Labor Party) wouldn't fund a cancer centre for Dubbo if they were elected".
"The amount of signatures the team behind this have collected is staggering, and it really shows how this region has banded together to bring treatment closer to home," he said.
"I wasn't sure if I would be able to help, so I reached out to a few of the celebrities I knew and asked if they'd be willing to lend their support, and luckily they were more than happy to."
A university student, Mr McCauley said Sydney-based entertainment reporter and friend John Caldwell had also rallied support for the campaign among television and radio workmates.
Julia Morris was the first celebrity to get on board.
Her image on the campaign's Facebook page had attracted 1400 likes and been shared 170 times as of Thursday morning.
"Celebrities have great influence in the wider national community, and I would love to see the fight for a cancer centre in Dubbo become a national topic," Mr McCauley said.
"Everyone that has sent in a photo has been more than happy to help out. Interestingly, a lot of these people have some connection, normally by family, to regional Australia."
The federal government has made an election commitment of $25 million to the integrated cancer centre with the NSW government agreeing to make up the cost difference.
The facility is yet to be fully costed and planned, but talks are underway into its possible inclusion in the state government's $150 million stage three and four redevelopment of Dubbo Hospital.
Mrs Smith has urged the community to keep signing the petition, given the unknown outcome of the federal election on July 2.