Last Thursday, longtime local Eva Boyer cut the ribbon to officially open the Cancer Society’s new Queenstown-Tāhuna Centre, at Remarkables Park, marking a major step forward in making cancer support more visible and accessible for the community.
Located in what was the Fierce Grace hot yoga studio, the centre is situated below the Queenstown Medical Centre, beside the Unichem Remarkables Pharmacy and around the corner from the charity’s second-hand CanShop.
It’s also a short stroll from a bus stop, which Cancer Society’s head of cancer services Craig Watson says is super-important.
‘‘Not everybody has a car, not everybody is wealthy in Central Otago.
‘‘There’s a lot of people with a lot of need here, and this means people on buses — from all over the district — can come and meet us in the offices, get away from everything else that’s going on and be in a safe space to get the support they need.’’
Watson says given the population growth in the wider region — and the massive increase in people under the age of 50 receiving cancer diagnoses — ‘‘the community couldn’t wait any longer’’ for such a facility.
‘‘So we had to stand up and put something together.’’
The new centre came together in about four months, thanks to community fundraising, including a $4000 contribution from Naylor Love and Cook Brothers via last month’s Southern Swing golf series at the Arrowtown Golf Club — that money’s helped furnish the hub to create a homely atmosphere.
‘‘Every dollar raised here literally goes back to make this place operate,’’ he says.
‘‘We don’t get government funding, but [we’re] also proud of the fact we have community support — it’s huge, and we’re so grateful for that.’’
Having previously been located in ‘‘one little office space’’ at Terrace Junction, the new centre has two private rooms to have quiet conversations, including about wigs and prostheses, and an open-plan area with enough room to house four staff.
‘‘We’re also working to find other people to come in, like counsellors.
‘‘This will be more than just the Cancer Society’s hub; this will be a cancer hub for the community, too.’’
And, he notes, it’ll play an important role in supporting migrants on their cancer journeys who may need help navigating a health system that’s foreign to them.
The drop-in centre’s open Monday to Friday during business hours, or people can book in via the society’s online portal.
