Helen Dalton is hoping that the radiation centre will help cement Griffith as a health hub

Mrs Dalton stood for bulk-billed radiation therapy in 2021, making this a notable victory for both Mrs Dalton and other cancer care advocates.

"I'm just so excited that we've got this ... it's just fabulous. Not only do we not have to go to Wagga, but we'll have our out-of-pocket expenses covered," Mrs Dalton said.

Already looking ahead to other developments, she added that she was hopeful the radiation centre could be a tipping point to start a turnaround of regional health in Griffith.

"I hope it's beginning of a turnaround where we can be a significant health hub, so we can offer more than just basic services. The beginning is radiotherapy and for it to be bulk billed ... I think there's still gaps with orthopaedic surgeons, you can't get treatment on the weekend and that's when everything happens with sport."

"The lymphedema clinic only runs one day a week, it needs to run five days a week. We have the people here to do that, and those sorts of things could really provide further service to Griffith."

Of course, not everyone using the radiation centre in Griffith will be from just one or two streets over and there's still likely to be a need for accommodation to house visitors to the centre. The Griffith Cancer Radiotherapy Accommodation Committee has been pushing to create temporary accommodation.

Mrs Dalton cited them as a group whose work is still ongoing, and added thanks to the community who have rallied so hard to make radiation treatment affordable for all.

"I'd also like to thank all the people here in Griffith.Tthose people that really helped get that petition around, Grant Hearn and his wife, rallied a lot of people - it takes a community."

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