In Red on Fridays: Ten Years of Kindness at the Cancer Centre
Monday, 9 November 2026 / Albury Wodonga Health
On the opening weekend of the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre in 2016, Olwyn signed up for a two-hour volunteer shift. She finished at 6pm.
“It was so busy,” she remembers. She hadn’t brought lunch or a handbag, so a coffee van parked outside came to her rescue around 3pm. She spent the day leading groups of 15 through the new building, from the wards to the research area to the radiation bunkers. “I was amazed at how many people in our community had been touched by cancer, and had been travelling for treatment, and would now be able to stay local.”
A decade later, she’s still here, every Friday, in her red volunteer shirt.
A teacher who loves people
Olwyn has lived in Albury since 1991, when her husband’s work brought them from Sydney. She dreamed of being a nurse as a teenager but couldn’t stand the sight of blood, so she became a teacher instead, drawn by “being with people.” When she retired, she had no plans to sit at home. “I wanted to get out and be useful.”
She began volunteering at the main hospital when the cancer centre opened. She has stayed ever since.
The small things that matter
Her work is simple and kind. She welcomes people, walks them to where they need to go, and sits with them while they wait. “It’s helping people, especially someone who’s frightened and coming in for their first treatment.”
She remembers a patient who was terrified of the lift but too unwell for the stairs, and so she escorted them on every visit. Recently, she walked a worried woman to an X-ray appointment while her husband was having treatment. “We’re not allowed to do any counselling, but a smile, a chat, or helping someone with directions can make a difference.”
She is careful about privacy. In an open waiting area, she never asks, “How are you?” and doesn’t greet people she recognises unless they greet her first. “It’s all part of confidentiality.” When someone is waiting for a taxi, she’s happy to talk about their dog, or the harvest if they’re from a farm. And on Fridays, she can send people off with a cheerful “Have a good weekend,” which, she says, “puts a full stop on the end of their visit.”
Lessons from patients
Over ten years, Olwyn has learned as much as she’s given. One patient taught her to crochet granny squares, in four lessons over four Fridays. Another showed her how to wash heavy blankets. An Italian couple taught her a phrase every week before she travelled to Italy, and they were eager to hear whether she’d used them when she got home.
“Quite a few people sit on this chair and debrief,” she says. She has also seen many people come and go over the years. “Some didn’t survive their treatment, and others did and are out there somewhere in the community.”
What the centre means
When Olwyn is asked what the centre means to the community, her answer is clear. People tell her they are grateful for the staff, and for being close to family.
“Treatment like this is always going to be disruptive, but having to leave town makes it a nightmare to organise family.” For those who can be treated here, she says, “they speak so highly of the fact that it’s local.” Families can visit easily, and a familiar face is never far away.
Some people still need to travel for specialised care, but for many, a hard journey is a little easier because it begins close to home.
Ten years on
Asked what she would say to someone thinking of volunteering, Olwyn is encouraging. “As long as you’re fit and able, and you have a cheery disposition, it’s very worthwhile.” It won’t, she adds, “ever be as busy as your busiest day at work.” Having a regular day helps, and “there are lots of areas where people can volunteer.”
For Olwyn, the reward is in the connection. As the centre celebrates its first decade, her story is a reminder that the heart of a cancer centre is its people: the clinicians, the nurses, the volunteers, and the patients who teach them something new.
Interested in volunteering? Contact Albury Wodonga Health volunteer services on: