Deserved: Moya Hughes with her award outside the Drysdale shop.
KIM WATERS
FIGHT Cancer Foundation volunteer of the year Moya Hughes knows first-hand the importance of her organisation’s work.
The foundation’s volunteers were a source of “comfort” as her husband battled terminal cancer.
Now the widow counts them as colleagues and friends.
Mrs Hughes was “humbled” to receive the foundation’s Australia-wide recognition this week.
She started as a volunteer at Drysdale’s Fight Cancer Foundation Recycle Shop in 1994 during her husband’s illness before taking over as manager a year later.
“Cancer has touched my life over the years with different family and friends and my husband,” Mrs Hughes said.
“The foundation stood out to me as a wonderful organisation while my husband was sick when the girls would keep in touch with me.
“After he died I would have been lost without the shop and the girls. They were a great support to me.”
Mrs Hughes said 17 years after joining the shop she still relished any chance to help others touched by cancer.
“The money we raise for the foundation is important but also having the chance to talk to people who are going through similar things to you and to help them is such a wonderful thing to be a part of.
“My husband was proud of me when I first started volunteering and I know he’d be even more proud of me now.”
Fight Cancer Foundation managing director Eric Wright said Drysdale’s shop raised $8000 a year for the foundation’s work in research, education programs, support groups and fundraising.
“We are honoured to have Moya’s support and we are delighted she is the winner of this most prestigious award,” Mr Wright said.
