Garden lovers who pay $25 for a ticket to floral paradise on Sunday will be ensuring that cancer patients in Dubbo and the western region don’t quit their treatment for want of money.
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Ticket sales for Dubbo and District Branch of Can Assist’s Dubbo Autumn Gardens will fund transport and accommodation for patients needing to go to “bigger centres to get the proper treatment they need”, reports president Prue Thompson.
In an average year the branch outlays about $50,000 on up to 40 people struggling to access care. “It’s important to help people ..who get this terrible diagnosis,” Mrs Thompson said.
On Sunday the branch’s 50 volunteer members will be out in force to make sure its major fundraising event runs to plan.
Dubbo Autumn Gardens generated $20,000 for the branch in 2017.
This year the four gardens on display are at 6/7R Angle Road, Angle Estate; 5/7R Angle Road, Angle Estate; 31 Buninyong Road and 6R Jandra Crescent, Firgrove.
They will be open from 9.30am to 4pm with tickets and maps available at each garden.
Sunday’s garden tour will begin with a 10am address by gardening expert Reg Kidd at 6/7R Angle Road, where morning tea will be on sale.
Another talk by Mr Kidd is scheduled for 1.30pm at 6R Jandra Crescent, Firgrove.
Lunch of $5 gourmet rolls will be on offer.
Mrs Thompson said stalls would be operating at all four gardens.
They will be selling “quality” goods including hats, paintings, jewellery and woodwork.
Branch members have been selling raffle tickets in the lead-up to Dubbo Autumn Gardens. “We have a lovely raffle of two nights accommodation in Sydney and plane flights,” Mrs Thompson said. “They are courtesy of Flight Centre and Rex Airlines. “We will continue to sell tickets on Sunday with the drawing of the raffle at the Firgrove garden.”
Mrs Thompson said people supported by the branch were known to approach its raffle tables.
“It’s heartwarming to be sitting on a raffle table and have someone come up to you and say ‘I need to buy some raffle tickets because you helped me’,” she said.
The president said there would be a “slight shift in our outlook” when construction of an integrated cancer centre at Dubbo Hospital was completed in 2020. “
“We will be helping people to stay at Macquarie Home Stay and maybe paying more pharmacy bills,” she said.
“But some people will still need to go to Sydney for treatment. There are so many rare cancers these days. We will still be helping them.”
