Friends’ secretary Nancy Wilkins said it was an important annual event for the group, even though it was usually a small gathering.

This year there were two guest speakers at the event. Jo Dolan spoke as a volunteer for Cancer Council and Rosemary Breen spoke about illness in the refugee population.

“We had very good guest speakers. It is the first time we had Cancer Council supply someone to actually tell us where all the finances go to and get the latest results. That was fantastic,” Mrs Wilkins said.

Mrs Dolan said Cancer Council invested $14.9 million into research, $6.8 million into information and support services, $7.3 million into the delivery of programs across NSW and $4.2 million into advocacy and prevention campaigns.

“Cancer Council is one of the main fighters against cancer, but not just finding cures for all the different types of cancers, but providing support to cancer patients,” Mrs Dolan said. 

Mrs Breen said Inverell had been very generous and trusting to the projects she had undertaken over the years.

“As I go around villages in Myanmar and I see a new water tank, and I see somebody’s name from Inverell, NSW, Australia, my heart glows,” she said.

Inverell has helped finance 129 water tanks for communities in Myanmar, making a huge difference to the villagers.

“When you think that they’re $2000 each, it’s a mini-miracle, honestly,” she said. “Somebody was telling me that in Africa, when the people got clear water, they asked it was safe because it wasn’t brown.”

Mrs Breen said she was very interested to hear what was being done in our area by the Cancer Council.

“And I just thought, however awful it must be to be diagnosed with cancer, there is so much support and help around,” she said.

“Whereas, in some of the places I go, there might be a little clinic 30 miles away, or something. We are very blessed with our support people here.”