On 28 May, we mark a meaningful milestone for our region: the sixth anniversary of a most significant redevelopment the Andrew Love Cancer Centre. This is more than a date on the calendar. It is a celebration of community vision, generosity, and a commitment to delivering world-class cancer care close to home.
This transformational project began in 2015 with the launch of Project Love, a four million dollar fundraising campaign led by the Barwon Health Foundation. The goal was clear: to expand and modernise the Chemotherapy Day Ward and establish a larger on-site oncology pharmacy to meet the growing and complex needs of cancer patients across our region. As with so many healthcare milestones in our city, the community responded with unwavering support. Individuals, families, businesses, and patients gave what they could. Many gave in memory, others in gratitude, and some simply because they believed in better care for the people of Geelong.
One of the most profound contributions came from cancer survivor Beth Allerton. A quiet but generous supporter, Beth left her estate to the Barwon Health Foundation when she passed away in 2016 at the age of 96. Her gift established the Allerton Family Oncology Pharmacy, where highly personalised chemotherapy treatments are compounded on site by expert pharmacists. Her generosity lives on in every treatment delivered.
What many may not realise is that this dedicated team of pharmacists manufacture chemotherapy treatments for patients across the region, regardless of where they receive their care.
Six years on, the impact is clear. The Chemotherapy Day Ward now supports nearly 10,000 visits each year and the on-site pharmacy allows patients to begin treatment efficiently and safely. These advancements have reduced the burden on individuals and families, offering them more time at home and greater peace of mind during what is often one of life’s most challenging journeys.
This progress continues. On this anniversary, staff from the Andrew Love Cancer Centre will gather in a newly refurbished staff lounge, made possible by the generosity of a grateful local patient, Angelos, to reflect on the achievements of the past and to look toward the future. The next goal is the creation of a state-of-the-art clinical trials laboratory. This will create even more access to the latest cancer treatments and therapies directly by our community, ensuring that patients from across the region can benefit from innovations happening around the world.
Driving this continued evolution is a deep legacy of care that stretches back to Reverend Andrew Love in the 1840s, who saw the need for quality local healthcare and helped establish Geelong’s first hospital.
Reverend Love could never have imagined chemotherapy, immunotherapy or genomic profiling, but he would have recognised the values at the heart of this work: compassion, community, and the drive to create something better.
That spirit is what we honour on this sixth anniversary. It is a legacy not frozen in time, but active and evolving, reflected in every patient supported, every family strengthened, and every gift made in hope.
Zoe Waters
Executive Director
Barwon Health Foundation
