Big boost for cancer care
A $9 MILLION cancer “wellbeing” centre in Cairns is a step closer following a $500,000 donation by a Brisbane-based charity.
Hand Heart Pocket, the Charity of Freemasons Queensland, is handing over the funding in Cairns today.
The funds will specifically go towards the construction of a large double pavilion, the first of the pavilions to be built on the Manoora site, which will house specialist and support service providers.
Hand Heart Pocket chief executive Gary Mark said the decision to support the project was made in consultation with the Freemasons in the Far North, who helped to identify a deserving cause that the charity could support.
“This centre will be the first of its kind in Cairns and will, without a doubt, be an asset to the region,” he said.
“Hand Heart Pocket is proud to support this regional initiative that will help to empower people living with cancer and their families, improving their quality of life.”
The COUCH (Committee for Oncology Unit at Cairns Hospital) chairman Charles Woodward said the centre, on land at Manoora donated by the Woodward family, was a proposed development which would deliver services that provided a holistic approach to cancer care with the primary goal of improving the quality of life for people living with cancer and beyond as well as their carers.
“The COUCH Wellbeing Centre will be modelled on the successful Bloomhill Cancer Care Centre on the Sunshine Coast which has been operating for 20 years,” he said.
“The COUCH Wellbeing Centre will be a great addition to the cancer facilities available for people affected by cancer in the Cairns region. Although, we are one step closer, more funds are needed to ensure our vision is achieved.”
Mr Mark said the Woodward family had been involved in the development of the region for more than 100 years.
“Charles, Gordon and Jack Woodward were integral in the early development of the Carpentaria Freemasons’ Homes in the 1970s and Woodward Retirement Village in the 1980s, both previously owned by Masonic Care Queensland,” he said.
“Gordon and Jack were Freemasons and the donation is also a great way for us to continue to support the charitable work of Freemasons.”
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