Tag Archive for: Tumbarumba

Inmates’ firewood project sparks emotional cancer donation

Months of sawing, splitting, and stacking have culminated in a powerful $8000 donation for Riverina residents battling cancer, all thanks to the hard labour of inmates at Mannus Correctional Centre.

The team turned 86 tonnes of fallen timber from the centre’s 4000-acre property into a vital lifeline for the Tumbarumba branch of Can Assist.

Led by overseer Tracy John, the inmates embarked on the project to clear the grounds and give back to the community.

“We thought, there’s so much wood on the ground, why not clean up the paddocks, cut it, and sell it?” Ms John said.

The 192 bins of firewood were sold to staff, with every dollar earmarked for the local charity, which provides crucial support for patients and their families.

“Can Assist does incredible work helping people with transport, treatment and support when they have cancer,” Ms John noted. “And they’re not government-funded.”

The scale of the effort was matched by the emotion of the handover. At a recent morning tea, representatives from Can Assist were overcome by the gesture.

“They were so appreciative they were almost in tears,” Ms John recalled.

Beyond the significant funds raised, the project has had a profound impact on the inmates themselves. It has equipped them with practical skills while fostering a strong sense of purpose and connection to the community they are helping.

“It teaches them about giving back to the community, and they’re all for that,” Ms John said.

The project’s success has cemented it as an ongoing initiative. The Mannus crew is already hard at work preparing next year’s firewood, determined to continue supporting Riverina people through their fight with cancer.

 

November 3 2025

www.colypointobserver.com.au

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Matt’s Story

 

“I’ve done just over 11,000 kms since 2012 when this skin cancer kicked off in 2012. I was lucky enough to have the first four surgeries that year in my hometown hospital in Tumbarumba. Since then I’ve travelled to Wagga or Sydney for the remainder of the eight surgeries and a month of radiation. The radiation and oncology appointments were 5000ks in 2019. My 6 monthly skin checks (230k round trip) picked up a melanoma on my back in 2021, so that could be counted as a ninth surgery in Wagga and another 230k round trip.” This doesn’t include all the pre-surgery tests and consults with doctors. 

Matt had BCC (Basal cell Carcinoma) which was a Micronodular type where the nodules of cancer cells spread deeply into the dermis. Due to this, it is difficult for surgery to fully remove the tumour, and it is more likely to regrow after surgery. This was compounded for Matt with the BCC being close to his eye. Matt had to travel to Sydney to go to Chris O’Brien Lighthouse to have several surgeries, including a big one (Flap surgery) where tissue is moved from one part of the body to another. 

Matt was supported by his employer Essential Energy during his month of radiation. They organised for Matt to work in Wagga instead of Tumbarumba – which allowed him to work three quarters of a day’s work before having radiation treatment then traveling 110km home – until the treatment exhausted Matt too much to work.  

But with the surgeries later, Matt had to take time off between surgeries to recover. As it happened, part of his plan to take his mind off things was to adopt 4 calves to look after – Gizmo, Gertrude, Mabel and Daisy. 

Can Assist supported Matt with accommodation costs in Sydney, travel costs, and payment towards Greenslip for car registration. Can Assist “were awesome because they made a pretty rough time a little bit easier – less things to worry about. Reach out to them – there’s a heap of ways they can help”. 

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Darroll’s Story

Darroll is a proud octogenarian, who is now cancer free. Describing himself as a “survivor”, he’s living his best life with wife, Patty, three children and six grandchildren, enjoying every precious moment and some awe-inspiring life experiences, like skydiving! For Darroll, his extended cancer journey has given him a new lease on life.

Darroll

Darroll from near Tumbarumba in south-west NSW

Back in 2010, Darroll, who lives 20 kilometres from Tumbarumba in south-west NSW, was experiencing intense pain. His local GP sent him to Wagga Wagga, where a tumour, the size of a “little-kid football”, was picked up on a CT scan. Following an emergency trip to Sydney, he was formally diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

What transpired was a harrowing time for Darroll and his close-knit family, which included weekly trips to Wagga Wagga for eight rounds of R-CHOP or chemoimmunotherapy. However, after round seven, Darroll developed a lung infection, requiring 32 different antibiotics and four blood transfusions. He lost 15 kilograms.

Facing the prospect of 20 rounds of radiotherapy, and daily return travel between home and Wagga Wagga, he and Patty were bearing the weight of a huge emotional, physical and financial strain, made even more traumatic when a kidney stent became blocked and Darroll ended up with blood poisoning and his kidneys ultimately collapsed.

Thankfully, Darroll recovered. He thought it was the last of the illness.

In 2019, seven years later, Darroll was diagnosed with prostate cancer — and an all-too-familiar 20 rounds of radiotherapy began. This time, Darroll and Patty stayed at Lilier Lodge in Wagga Wagga, a warm and  supportive home-away-from-home for cancer patients travelling long distances for treatment, like Darroll.

“Lilier Lodge is a marvelous place to stay at while having treatment. It’s like one big, happy family who were there for you at all times making it easier to cope, says Darroll.

“It really made a difference being around people who understood each other, not just for me, but also for Patty who had other carers to lean on. We talked, we listened, shared our stories and had each other’s back.”

Darroll would like to thank Can Assist Tumbarumba branch:

“Without the help of the branch, things would have been a lot harder for me. They assisted me during my cancer treatments, paying many accounts, including medical out-of-pocket expenses and travelling costs. Plus, the members had talked to me about what I was going through and if they could help in other ways,” he says.

“What a wonderful organisation we have here in Tumbarumba, with exceptional and kind workers. A lot of stress and worries were avoided so I could concentrate on getting better. Thanks a lot for everything. Let’s hope it’s there forever to keep on helping all those in need. I give them 100 out of 100 for their assistance.”

Alex’s Story

Just two days before his 6th birthday Alex was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia.

It all started with a sore knee.  Incorrect diagnoses and consequent ineffective treatments saw Alex awake one morning screaming in pain. Alex and his family were at his grandma’s house in Tumbarumba that morning from where he was taken by ambulance to the nearest regional hospital in Wagga Wagga (113 km away).

Alex's Story

Alex being transferred from Tumbarumba Hospital to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital. December 2021

After an initial 6 week stay at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital treating a suspected bone infection, Alex was transferred to the Sydney Children’s Hospital (280km from home). Some 2 months later a biopsy revealed Alex was suffering from Leukemia. It was nearly 12 months since his initial symptoms.

Alex commenced what would be his first of 4 chemo rounds 3 days later.

First insertion of the chemotherapy port, March 2022

It would take about another 10 months to complete the intravenous course of chemotherapy, which was punctuated by pneumonia, long COVID, a serious fungal infection, neutropenia, vomiting and diarrhoea. Alex would finally return home 4 days before Christmas.

May 2022. Alex had not long completed his first round of chemo and steroid treatment. He needed help breathing since his oxygen levels were too low.

August 2022.  Alex has completed his 3rd chemo round. Whilst he was supposed to go home for 10 days after this, 4 hours after arriving in Bungendore he was admitted to Canberra Hospital and promptly flown back to Sydney.

September 2022. Back in Sydney. Alex’s fungal infection was spreading; to his pelvis, liver, lungs and spleen; high temperatures and night sweats.

Alex makes it home Christmas Eve to be with his little sister Maddie. December 2022.

Alex is now receiving oral chemotherapy which he can take at home in Bungendore. The many trips continue back and forth to hospital – but for now that’s only a 40km trip. “Any temp above 38 degrees and we are right back at hospital, but taking the distance out of the picture makes it all so much easier to handle, apart from taking the extra costs off the table it allows all of us to be near our support networks which brings just a little bit of normality back into our lives” Brittany Melhuish, Alex’s Mum.

“Cancer takes its toll on everyone. Maddy was only 3 years old when Alex was diagnosed, there was a 3 month stretch over COVID when she couldn’t see Alex at all. Mum, Maddy and I all lived in a 1-bedroom apartment in Sydney over the course of Alex’s treatment. Since I had to stop work Alastair (Alex’s Dad) had to keep working. He drove back and forth every weekend to be with us. In the earlier months, I was able to draw on my holiday leave but when that dried up the extra expenses became very difficult to manage; there were the accommodation out of pockets (over IPTAAS), everyday expenses, the petrol for all those trips…. even the parking was $30 a day. Another charity referred me to Can Assist – who I had never heard of before.”

“On calling Can Assist, the person I spoke to could help me almost straight away, Ann was so lovely, warm and comforting and put me immediately at ease. I felt very supported by Can Assist, right from the beginning. To have their help with my accommodation out of pockets and some every day expenses was just amazing.”

February 2023. Alex smiles through it all. His first day back at school, with no appetite at all he is nourished via a feeding tube.

April 2023.  Easter weekend. Alex doing well, feeding tube gone and a big smile from Mum, Dad and little sister.

By March 2024, Alex will no longer be considered immune suppressed. He will turn 8 that month. Monitoring will continue for another 6 months or so – but the finish line is in view.

Can Assist remains available to help …cancer is a journey, and we walk alongside you until – the finish line is crossed.