"My girlfriend was in Sydney with me. We were just sitting there and I was recovering from the surgery the day before. We were talking and she said 'Dry July is on'," Mr Cleary said.

"I thought I'd turn a bad situation into something positive."

Dry July is an annual fundraising and awareness initiative that encourages participants who give up alcohol for the month of July. Friends and family sponsor the participant, with money going to a number of different organisations like the Cancer Council and Redkite.

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Mr Cleary was in hospital after finding a small lump on his head two months ago.

It was initially believed to be something like a cyst, however tests revealed it was something more serious.

"A bit over two weeks ago I had surgery to remove it and they put a titanium plate in to replace the skull and protect the area. We're still waiting on the results to see if it was benign or malignant," he said.

"Throughout the whole thing the support I've had from everyone and all the staff at RPA made me really appreciate what everyone goes through during stuff like this.

"It made me and my partner (Brittany Boniface) think. It was the first of July and we thought 'why don't we raise some money to go to a good cause?'"

Mr Cleary said not drinking for the month of July was something he had always thought about, but had never considered before now.

He admits that he's copped it from some of his mates, who have had a go at the unique spin he's put on Dry July.

However, he's hoping to raise $3000 for the Cancer Council and has already reached more than $2700.

Under the 2830 postcode, there are 87 registered participants of Dry July.

In total, the Dubbo residents have raised just over $12,000.

Since it started in 2008, Dry July has raised more than $37 million for people affected by cancer. More than 160,000 people have gone dry during the month.

For now, Mr Cleary will continue to fundraise for Dry July as he recovers from the surgery. He said the scar was healing well and he'll be spending a few weeks on bed rest.

"I had no headaches, no dizziness. In the end the doctor said I was lucky to have caught it early while it was still so small," he said.

To donate to Tyler Cleary's Dry July campaign head to: https://www.dryjuly.com/users/tyler-cleary.

More information on the initiative is also available on the Dry July website.