ZITA Cleary is leading community celebrations amid news Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will be in Nowra on Sunday to announce funding for a comprehensive cancer care centre in Nowra.

Mrs Cleary’s late husband Ray started the campaign to get the region a linear accelerator, which will finally bear fruit in coming days.

Mr Rudd and NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt will be in Nowra to announce $33.8 million in funding to establish a new, purpose-built regional cancer centre at Shoalhaven Hospital.

The visit was originally planned for today but was yesterday afternoon postponed until Sunday.

Mr Cleary started the campaign when he realised how unacceptable it was for local people to travel to Wollongong for treatment.

It was his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis in 2003 and her subsequent need to travel to Wollongong that made Mr Cleary realise the Shoalhaven needed its own linear accelerator.

“Ray was community minded and was always looking for ways to make things better for it,” Mrs Cleary said.

When people told him the region would never get a linear accelerator he refused to listen and with his friends Paul Dean and former Shoalhaven Mayor Greg Watson, started the community fundraising campaign in June 2004.

Sadly, Mr Cleary died in February 2005 from cancer.

A delighted Mrs Cleary said her husband’s spirit would know of the announcement.

“He would be clapping his hands with glee and saying ‘you little beauty’,” Mrs Cleary said.

Before moving to Queensland, Mrs Cleary was a member of the fundraising committee and played a role in helping raise more than $1 million to provide cancer treatment facilities.

“All the hard work was worthwhile,” she said.

She added the effort to get a linear accelerator united the entire community, and even a funeral today was calling for donations towards the linear accelerator appeal in lieu of flowers.

Mrs Cleary said people including Paul Dean and Greg Watson deserved to be thanked for their efforts, as did current mayor Paul Green, Federal Member for Gilmore Joanna Gash, State Member for the South Coast Shelley Hancock, and State Member for Kiama Matt Brown.

The Rudd Government is investing $23.8 million and the NSW Government $10 million to create new facilities with a linear accelerator, two radiotherapy bunkers, eight additional chemotherapy chairs, a CT scanner and a 10-room patient and carer accommodation.

Once fully operational these facilities will allow for an estimated additional 414 radiotherapy patients to access treatment each year and for an estimated additional 4000 chemotherapy treatments, along with additional accommodation close to the hospital.

Rudd said it was a pleasure to be able to make the announcement.

“This is what the people of the Shoalhaven community deserve, and I congratulate them on fighting hard for this centre, and for raising a million dollars towards what will be a vital facility for the region,” the Prime Minister said.

Ms Tebbutt also applauded the Shoalhaven community for its efforts to raise $1 million towards the centre.

The Health Minister said the facility would cut significant travel times for patients and their families.

The funding stipulates the centre be built and operational within three years.