With so many local families requiring cancer treatment the Rotary Club of Yarrawonga Mulwala have committed continued support for the Hilltop Accommodation Centre development which provides a home away from home for cancer patients seeking treatment at the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre.
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Hilltop is a joint project of Fight Cancer Foundation, the Zonta Club of Albury Wodonga, the Rotary Club of Albury North and Lions District 201V6. The centre provides accommodation with ensuite bathrooms along with communal areas, fully equipped kitchens, dining spaces, BBQ areas, lounge areas, a library, children’s playground and meeting facilities for community groups.
In 2020 the Rotary Club of Yarrawonga Mulwala donated $10,000 to the stage 1 building program 20 accommodation units that was completed in 2012. Since then, the use of the facility has grown so rapidly that stage 2 has commenced.
Hilltop is currently able to offer 7,300 nights of accommodation per annum and is fast approaching capacity. In response to this increased demand the project partners have decided to expand the facility to provide a further 3,650 nights.
This stage 2 expansion is now just weeks away from being completed after restrictions created by the COVID-19 pandemic have delayed work on the project.
The expansion has provided a further 10 accommodation suites, a lounge/library, gymnasium, guest laundries and a new reception area and administrative office.
The estimated cost of the improvements is $3.8 million. The Federal Government and the Fight Cancer Foundation have contributed $2.9 million. This leaves around $1 million to be raised from community support.
The Yarrawonga district is the second largest user of the accommodation services after Wangaratta. Given the high use by locals, the Rotary Club of Yarrawonga Mulwala donated $35,000 to have naming rights for one of the accommodation units.
Moira Shire Council also voted at its May 2020 Ordinary Meeting to allocate a one-off donation of $20,000 to stage 2.
Moira Shire Mayor Libro Mustica said with so many families in Moira Shire requiring cancer treatment, going to Albury is a wonderful option for them instead of having to travel to Melbourne.
“I am delighted council agreed to donate to this very worthy project, one that clearly benefits so many families in Moira Shire and the broader region,” Councillor Mustica said.
While the residents and clubs from Albury and Wodonga are the biggest donors to the project, they are not the biggest users. Local residents can go home after their daily treatment and have no need of overnight accommodation.
It’s the patients from the surrounding areas that use the facility. The catchment area is 250,000 people in 32 local government areas from NSW and Victoria. The accommodation is very reasonably priced from only $15 per night.
Located adjacent to Albury Base Hospital and a short walk to the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre, Hilltop offers first class facilities and provided a safe, comfortable and affordable home away from home for cancer patients from outlying towns across southern New South Wales and North East Victoria.
