The founder of Cancer Wellness Support, Robyn Yates, lost her own battle with motor neurone disease on 27 November. I first met Robyn about a decade ago, when her vision to support people experiencing cancer was already well underway. In 2005 she leased a space in Katoomba and opened the first op shop to fund her work. Now there's a second op shop, in Penrith, and the community based model provides more than 5,000 subsidised therapies a year. This includes counselling, lymphoedema management, massage, yoga and art therapy. That's the vision—providing affordable subsidised therapies to people living with cancer, their carers and families, throughout the Blue Mountains and Penrith Valley regions.

To mark the organisation's 15th birthday, the Leura centre was named the Robyn Yates Centre earlier this year, and I've been pleased to assist with improvements to that centre. In spite of her own ill health, Robyn stayed active and involved in the organisation and in other community groups. I thank the chair of Cancer Wellness Support, Bob Reid, for highlighting Robyn's own words on being awarded an OAM. She said:

The thing that really floats my boat is when I see a person transformed from someone who is anxious and vulnerable when they come in the door. And then, when they start accessing our services or going to groups, they regain control and confidence and can actually see a future for themselves. Blue Mountains Cancer Help tries to offer a sense of hope. It's empowering to discover there are many things you can do to improve your healing capacity.

Vale Robyn Yates OAM.