History
Following the death of her best friend from ovarian cancer in 1999, Yvonne Moon OAM convinced her fellow Rotarians in the Rotary club of Williamstown to do something about reducing the high death rates and to assist those suffering from this devastating malignant disease. With the support of her Rotary club, Yvonne was the driving force behind establishing the charitable trust known as the “RoCan Trust” in 2003.
The original aims of the RoCan Trust were to raise public awareness of ovarian cancer and to raise funds for research into an early screening test for the disease. Since its inception, the RoCan Trust has raised over $1 million. Over the years, it has funded research at the Royal Women’s Hospital and at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research. Some of the research was funded with matching grants from Australian Rotary Health. The RoCan Trust also supported the Olivia Newton John wellness centre with equipment and donations.
Over the years, Yvonne worked tirelessly for the cause by speaking to numerous Rotary clubs, at Rotary events and to other community groups. To raise money, she organised dinner dances, lunches, fashion parades and rock ‘n’ roll nights.
In June 2007, Yvonne was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) during the Queen’s Birthday honours list. Yvonne received her OAM “for service to the community, particularly through the Rotary against ovarian cancer program”.
In 2015, RoCan and the Rotary club of Williamstown established a subcommittee to investigate the feasibility of establishing an accommodation and wellness centre in the western suburbs of Melbourne. Such a centre would provide respite care and it would also provide low-cost accommodation to cancer patients and their families travelling longer distances to receive medical treatment at the Melbourne, Sunshine and Werribee hospitals.
Yvonne was able to form an association with the annual Ride to Conference bicycle riders (a group of people who would raise funds on their annual bike ride to the Rotary District 9800 Conference). The Ride to Conference riders have been generously donating funds towards RoCan for many years.
In 2018, the RoCan Trust purchased a block of land in Werribee with a view to construct an accommodation and wellness centre. Steps were taken to change the structure of the RoCan Trust from a charitable trust to a company limited by guarantee (with charitable status) to more adequately cater for the running of an accommodation wellness centre. On 25 May 2020, RoCan Ltd, a not for profit public company limited by guarantee, was established.
Sadly, Yvonne passed away on 26 March 2020, however a dedicated team of like-minded Rotarians and Ride to Conference riders continue her work today.
Following a feasibility study during the last half of 2020, it was determined that the previous support for the construction of an accommodation and wellness centre in Werribee had disappeared. Accordingly, a new direction was taken to financially support the construction of a new accommodation centre located on Flemington Road near the current Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
RoCan originally stood for Rotarians Against Ovarian Cancer. Over time, the individual projects of RoCan have varied and the long-term anti-cancer goals have broadened, however RoCan remains committed to assisting all cancer patients and their families in a meaningful way.