It is undoubtedly going to make a huge difference to the lives of thousands upon thousands of people.
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Anyone driving along Borella Road only needs to take a quick glance to see the significant size alone of the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre.
The bricks and mortar side of the $70 million job is rapidly nearing completion.
When that happens, the facility will deliver untold benefits right across the region – to Albury-Wodonga and to residents of towns far and wide in a catchment of 250,000 people.
And no doubt the excitement will build to a crescendo when the doors are finally opened.
But this is only one, albeit fairly substantial, component of the cancer centre equation.
Crucial to the project is a community-led fundraising drive with a target of $2 million.
This money will be essential in ensuring the facility is run at an optimal level, to match the state-of-the-art facilities filled with new equipment and highly trained staff.
The trust is already well on the way to its target, having raised $500,000.
Now comes the news that the trust would like Albury Council to dip into its coffers for a donation of $410,000.
This would be a hefty donation, but it still pales in comparison to the commitment the council made to the Murray Arts Museum Albury – money that ultimately comes from the pockets of ratepayers and residents.
The MAMA investment has already proved to be a tremendous success, and undoubtedly will continue to do so well into the future, so yes, it is money well-spent.
It does not take much consideration though to realise that committing to the trust campaign would be an extremely wise move.
After all, the community’s health and well-being is vital to its long-term viability and success.
It appears the trust already doing a splendid job.
As trust fund secretary Geoff Smith points out, its corporate friends program has $600,000 in pledges from just eight companies so far approached.
This augers well for reaching the $2 million target.
It would be a sensible move though for the trust to also approach councils from right across the catchment, as suggested by Albury deputy mayor David Thurley.
