Dungog Shire Palliative Care volunteers have been provided with a brand new set of wheels.
Hunter Honda and The Honda Foundation have supplied a Honda Odyssey to the organisation. The Honda Heroes Odyssey is the first of its kind in the Hunter Valley.

The Odyssey will enable the volunteers to drive Dungog residents diagnosed with a life limiting illness, to and from the Mater Hospital.

Previously, the ten active volunteers had to drive their own vehicles and pay for their own petrol when transporting clients.

President of the Management Committee, Margaret Jones, said in theory the volunteers could travel up to 100km away to help sick people.

“We travel as far away at Lostock and in to the Mater Hospital,” she said. ”We provide a free service to all of our clients and their families and help them get to their chemotherapy and to all of their appointments.

”With the new car we will determine which volunteers get to use it based on the needs of their clients.”

Mrs. Jones thanked The Honda Foundation for providing a car to such a rural area. "We are such a remote area, so it’s a huge thing for the Foundation to do,” she said.

Mrs. Jones said acquisition of the car was totally instrumental by the previous coordinator Kath Watkinson. “She found, sourced and applied to The Honda Foundation for the car. We were all amazed when she was successful.”

“We have funds to build a new garage and Hunter New England Health has provided land at the back of the hospital,” Mrs. Jones said. “Honda can definitely be assured the car will be well looked after.”

^{Photo and story courtesy of the Maitland Mercury and Dungog Chronicle.}