Cancer Council's Transport to Treatment volunteer Russell Christison encourages others to join the program

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A volunteer for the Cancer Council's Transport to Treatment program, Russell has volunteered with the Cancer Council for two and a half years as a driver.

When he first retired from the railways in 2017 and moved to the Southern Highlands, Russell looked into getting into volunteering.

"I knew I wanted to volunteer, I just wasn't sure in what kind of area," he said.

"I wanted to do something that was giving back to the community.

"In 2019 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and then had an operation in May 2019.

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"Not long after that, there was a Facebook ad looking for volunteer drivers for the Cancer Council. I wanted to volunteer, and helping people going through cancer treatment seemed to be a good fit.

"At the moment, I normally do Fridays, but Cancer Council sends an email if there's another day of the week that they need to filled if someone's not available."

For Russell, volunteering with the Cancer Council gives him a positive feeling.

"You're making it easier for people going through treatment," he said.

"It can be difficult for families, especially for some people who have daily treatments.

"I can't cure them of cancer, but I can make their life easier and transport them to and from the hospital."

Russell said volunteering with the Cancer Council allowed him to meet a variety of people.

"Sometimes it helps just talking with people of all varying ages, especially on the longer drives," he said.

"Some of them will want to talk about anything but the treatment, and other people will want to talk about the treatment.

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"The ability to talk about what's going on is important.

"I'm happy to be a set of ears for that. I think the most fulfilling thing is knowing that you're helping someone in difficult times."

For anyone who's considering volunteering, Russel says to "give it a go".

It's a rewarding thing to do, and it doesn't take a lot of your time," he said.

"Usually you'd have a meeting in person with Community Programs Coordinator Emma and they do background checks and police checks.

"Then you do go on a drive with another driver before you go on your own so you're not thrown in the deep end."

And as for the transportation aspect, Russel said the cars were supplied by the Cancer Council.

"There's a car in Mittagong and one in Bowral," he said.

"They come with fuel cards. There's no personal cost to yourself. The cars are always well maintained. You just need to wipe them down afterwards and the car is professionally cleaned."

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While Russell only volunteers one day a week, he said the rosters are "quite flexible".

"You can volunteer five days a week if you wanted to or you can volunteer one day a fortnight," he said.

"You can pick one day of the week that suits you or you can just let them know monthly."

When Russell was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, he wasn't aware of the Transport for Treatment program the Cancer Council offered.

"It would have been handy for me had I realised," he said.

"I had to either drive myself to my treatment or occasionally use public transport, which following prostate cancer is very uncomfortable.

"Even though the program is based in the southern Highlands, it's not restricted to the Southern Highlands.

"You might be driving people to MacArthur or Liverpool, and on one occasion, I took someone to St Vincent's."

Community Program Coordinator Emma Sword said the Cancer Council was pleased to offer Transport to Treatment for people undergoing cancer therapy.

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"Cancer Council NSW offers a bus that runs daily to Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre for radiotherapy and two cars that assist with appointments to Bowral, Macarthur and Liverpool Cancer Centres," she said.

"This service runs on the support of volunteer drivers based in the highlands.

"We are currently looking to fill three volunteer driver positions for our car service. Training and vehicles are provided."

If you or know someone interested in volunteering on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday please get in touch with Emma Swords on 4223 0254 or emma.swords@nswcc.org.au to find out more.

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