Macquarie Home Stay Dubbo have given a shout out to local farmers in the broader region to donate grain this harvest season, in the hope of reducing debt on the new CWA guesthouse to allow more rural patients to stay.

Macquarie Home Stay (pictured below), which is expected to house over 9000 patients and helpers in 2025, is a home away from home for many rural people visiting Dubbo for medical care. The facility provides affordable, low-cost accommodation for patients and their partner before, during and post treatment.

Following a very successful wool drive, in previous years, the committee decided on a grain drive whereby farmers use a supplied National Grower Register (NGR) number to allocate a percentage of grain to be gifted to the organisation.

“The wool drive was very successful with graziers from predominantly Nyngan, Cobar, Bourke, and Walgett donating to our cause which led to MacDonald Wool & Co sponsoring a couple of rooms for us. Which was so appreciated, especially as so many of the guests hail from those areas and beyond,” according to Macquarie Home Stay Chairman Andrew Single.

“This year we are asking if growers or merchants who are transferring their grain, would like to donate a tonne or two, and if so, we would be very grateful.

“Ideally we would love to raise $200,000 to assist in debt repayment. We started off with around 16 rooms initially but with the soon to be completed CWA guesthouse we will have around 50 rooms on offer for people who need them.

“This means that our goal of not turning people away that need us (while they are struggling, sick and unwell) will be achieved and this is a high priority for us,” said Mr Single.

“One of our aims is to broaden the number of people who know about us. We think people know what we do, but I still find that many people don’t and sadly lots of patients travel to Dubbo for medical care and assistance totally unaware that we are here to help them.

“We pride ourselves on our amazing accommodation and our caring environment and even being around other rural people staying at the accommodation can make it more like a home environment,” he said.

Andrew Single Chairman Macquarie Home Stay Dubbo.

Nano Moody and husband Richard are farmers situated between Narromine and Trangie, and although Nano was able to drive home during her cancer treatments, she saw the many other patients who were able to use the Macquarie Home Stay facility so beneficially.

Nano Moody farmer - Image supplied

“Macquarie Home Stay grain drive is a fantastic initiative. As a farmer, it’s an easy way to support a wonderful facility that helps so many people in the rural areas around Dubbo.

“Just use their NGR number to allocate some grain, it’s that easy.

“As a patient that went through treatment at the Western Cancer Centre, Macquarie Homestay is so important,” said Mrs Moody.

“I had 33 sessions of radiation and fortunately now I live close enough that I was driven in and out each day, but if we still lived at Hermidale, I would have needed accommodation.

“Dubbo motels are full capacity most of the time, Macquarie Homestay fills this gap and is so important to our wider outback and rural communities,” she said.

For more information or to donate please contact Chairman Andrew Single on 0400546013.