'Racked our brains for years': How a 90s idea is helping cancer patients

These are people who live in the bush and can't afford the cost of accommodation near Dubbo Hospital, as well as people who can't leave their kids or dependants alone overnight.

Dr Geraghty worked at the hospital for 30 years as an obstetrician and gynaecologist, and during that time he was on a committee campaigning for low-cost accommodation for people coming to the city for care.

"A lot of people I was looking after either couldn't come down because they couldn't afford it, or couldn't leave their families," Dr Gerarghty told the Daily Liberal.

"We racked our brains for years to address the problem but we never came up with an adequate solution."

In 2019, Macquarie Homestay was developed - a low-cost place where families can stay while receiving medical treatment at Dubbo Hospital.

The facility has helped numerous families in the handful of years since it was built, but now it's expanding - because the need continues to grow.

Enter the Tour d'OROC, a biennial, six-day bicycle ride that raises funds for Macquarie Homestay's capital works, allowing it to expand and help more families.

"The demand for this facility has increased significantly with the cancer treatment improving in Dubbo," Dr Gerarghty said.

"We're hoping this ride will achieve a record amount of funds that's required to make up for any shortfall in increased costs as a flow-on from the pandemic."

Being at the forefront of discussions about developing something like Macquarie Homestay, all those years ago, meant seeing it come to fruition and help people in the real world meant a lot to Dr Gerarghty.

"Historically this need arose because from the start of the nineties the capacity of small rural hospitals to provide adequate medical care was becoming more difficult," Dr Geraghty said.

"With the rural recession a lot of facilities were downgraded or closed."

He said some regional hospitals stopped delivering babies during the nineties, and some stopped providing major and minor surgical procedures. It meant more people needed to come to Dubbo for care, many of whom were disadvantaged.

"Many also had families they needed to look after, and from a maternity point of view, women and children didn't have someone reliable or safe to leave them with," Dr Geraghty said.

When Dr Geraghty joined the Rotary Club of Dubbo South a handful of years ago, and he heard about the Tour d'OROC, he decided to become a cyclist right there and then.

He said anyone can train up to join the tour, which is getting bigger and better each year.

"It takes a fair bit of training. I will be working to get fitter for the event which starts on the eighteenth of March" he said.

Beyond Dr Geraghty's history at the hospital and deep connection to the cause, he enjoys the cycling tour and always meets a lot of people along the way.

"It's fantastic, it really is. It's not just meeting and sharing this experience with the riders, it's also the reception we get in these towns," Dr Gerarghty said.

"People are so pleased to see us, they recognise what we're doing for them. The 'welcomes' are warm and genuine, the riders have a great time at the social functions, and we get riders from all over the place, from Sydney Mudgee ... it's not restricted to riders from the Dubbo region itself."

The Tour d'OROC leaves from Dubbo, and participants ride to Coonamble to stay overnight, then Walgett and Lightning Ridge, then a bus takes them back to Walgett and they ride to Brewarrina, Bourke and finally Cobar.

Riders will have time to check out each town along the way and there will be excursions, including viewing the Brewarrina fish traps and museum, as well as a mine and spring baths in Lightning Ridge.

There will be a social function in each town and a final night in Cobar, where a big raffle will take place for a RAV4 donated by Dubbo City Toyota.

Find out more and register your interest for the Tour d'OROC at https://www.tourdeoroc.bike/