An open invitation was extended to the community to help mark the occasion and over the course of the day around 70 people made their way through to show their appreciation of Can Assist. 

The mood was very sociable and friendly with all having a great time catching up and telling more than a few stories from their years with Can Assist. 

Can Assist exists to financially support those locals suffering cancer. They help with everything from travel expenses to medication. 

In their first year Cootamundra Can Assist (then known as CPAS, Cancer Patients Assistance Society) helped between two and five people with records showing they provided $2881.91.

Today, they assist around 30 to 40 people at a cost of about $7500 per month. 

The need for Can Assist today is as strong as ever, says Can Assist president Tammy Thompson. 

“As long as we have rural families having to pay five and a half times more than their city counterparts, we need Can Assist,” Tammy said. 

“Our clients have accommodation, pharmaceutical bills, medical gaps for many visits/treatments and travel to treatments. Unlike some of the city people our clients sometimes have to have treatments that take them away from their families for long periods of time.”  

The aim of Cootamundra Can Assist, Tammy says, is to try to help ease some of that financial burden during that trying time.  

The expected lifetime cost of cancer on a household is $47,000, which is 92 per cent of what an individual faces without government (state/federal) assistance. 

“This is why we need Can Assist which only operates in NSW, your branch in Cootamundra is one of 50,” Tammy said. 

30 years of giving

BELOW is the amount of money raised by the community for Can Assist to give to those in need. The figures total more than $1 million over three decades - a phenomenal amount which should be applauded. 

1984/85 $2,881.91

1985/86 $3,679.87

1987/88 $9,771.73

1988/89 $14,352.62

1989/90 $21,111.06

1990/91 $14,923.02

1991/92 $12,543.47

1992/93 $21,873.15

1993/94 $17,106.19

1994/95 $23,239.81

1995/96 $21,408.53

1996/97 $29,699.73

1997/98 $29,467.43

1998/99 $31,792.39

1999/2000 $22,260.64

2000/01 $23,160.04

2001/02 $23,569.01

2002/03 $22,754.96

2003/04 $23,486.86

2004/05 $25,116.00

2005/06 $47,549.00

2006/07 $52,000.00

2007/08 $58,864.76

2008/09 $71,649.80

2009/10 $69,129.28

2010/11 $62,342.50

2011/12 $97,192.99

2012/13 $100,397.93

2013/14 $57,643.48

Total: $1,014,392.94