Petitioners from a Eurobodalla community group are appealing to the Bega Valley Shire to support them in their stand for better local radiotherapy services on the South Coast.
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Petition organiser Mylene Boulting said the issue was a prevalent one that affects residents from both the Bega Valley and the Eurobodalla Shires.
"We don't have a radiation therapy centre from between the Victorian border to our closest centres which are in Canberra and Nowra," Mylene said.
"For us in Moruya, it's bad enough we have to travel two hours to Canberra and five hours to Sydney, but if you're living in Eden it would be horrible."
Mylene and her husband Fitzroy Boulting are part of the ONE New L4 Eurobodalla Hospital Advocates group and have been busy handing out petitions for local radiotherapy services to people across the Eurobodalla since early May.
Fitzroy said although they have been primarily focused on getting support in their local area, the ONE group was looking to Bega Valley residents for their support as well.
"This is for Bega Valley just as much as it is for us, we're all in this together," he said.
The ONE group had received great support from its local community so far, with more than 900 signatures collected in Moruya alone.
Fitzroy said they also had the support of local government figures, which included Eden-Monaro MP Kristy McBain, Member for Bega Michael Holland and deputy mayor of the Bega Valley Shire Liz Seckold.
"All three of them have been absolutely brilliant in their support of this and you'll find the petition is installed in their offices in Bega," he said.
Can Assist Bega supports petition
Can Assist Bega Valley liaison officer Peter Van Bracht said the support organisation was "definitely on board" in supporting the call for radiotherapy services in the south east.
When asked how many people in the Bega Valley have been making use of radiotherapy, Mr Van Bracht said there were often "at least four to five people at a time, that I know of".
Mr Van Bracht said there were also potentially "quite a few people" who needed the treatment but who don't go through Can Assist for help.
"I couldn't really put a number on it because it's only the people who want to ask for help that we find out about, so I think you could surely more than double the people we know of," he said.
Mr Van Bracht said the inconvenience of people having to travel long distances would "be a detriment to lots of people and they wouldn't bother to have treatment because it's just too complicated".
"We're very fortunate to have an oncology section in the hospital down here but that doesn't cover all patients either, as some still have to go to Canberra."
Mr Van Bracht said the struggle he had seen a lot of cancer patients run into was the added costs and difficulty in finding accommodation during their treatment sessions in Canberra.
"When you consider what a huge area the Canberra Hospital draws people from, it's not just the South Coast but South West as well and the Monaro so it just makes it very difficult," he said.
Petitioners Mylene and Fitzroy Boulting remain passionate in taking a stand for a radiotherapy clinic to be built on the South Coast, with the goal of aiding patients get the "services they deserve".
"This is not political, this is about helping people, this is an issue of human suffering not some political scoreboard," Mylene said.
Mylene said they hoped to gather enough signatures that they would be able to change NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard's mind about setting up a radiation therapy centre on the South Coast.
"It is going to help everybody, not just the people of Moruya but people along the whole South Coast and this is what we're fighting for," she said.
A few Bega Valley businesses have the petition in their stores already, these include Candelo Bulk Wholefoods and Café Evolve.
Those wanting to get a copy or distribute the petition locally can either get in touch with the petition organisers via mboulting@aol.com, or it is available for download on their Facebook page, ONE Eurobodalla Hospital.
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