The Echuca-Moama cycling community has gathered to remember Roberta Hamilton on the one-year anniversary of her passing, raising funds for the Echuca Regional Health Cancer and Wellness Centre.
A long-standing volunteer of the Echuca Moama Cycling Club, where her husband Ray was president, Roberta suffered from a rare form of kidney cancer and passed away on June 25, 2022, aged 73.
“It’s unbelievable to see them all here this morning. It’s a pretty emotional day for me,” Ray said.
“Roberta was heavily involved in a ‘girls’ ride out’ that she used to do, so I thought now in remembrance of her we would try to organise this once a year, with bike riders, walkers and so forth.”
The fundraising initiative comes as a result of Ray wanting to help those who were in a similar situation to Roberta, who had to travel to Melbourne from Echuca to access cancer treatment.
“Money that we raise this morning actually goes to the Cancer and Wellness Centre here,” he said.
“It’s for a fantastic cause and will help people that have cancer that maybe have to travel to Melbourne.
“We used to go to Box Hill Hospital every fortnight, so for people that are probably not fit enough to travel to start with, especially when it gets to the far end with cancer, having this here is phenomenal.”
Echuca Moama Cycling Club members finished their group ride at ERH, where they were greeted with a breakfast put on by the American Hotel, with all proceeds donated to the Cancer and Wellness Centre.
“It’s fantastic to see it here, and I’ve been involved with it on the way through,” Ray said of the centre, which was officially opened by Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas earlier this month.
“I suppose you don’t realise until you’re probably touched with cancer in your family that all of a sudden you want to help.
“If you’ve got someone that can push the barrel a bit, because of what happened to our family, I’m only too happy to try and do that.”
The fundraising event comes after the EMCC recently held the inaugural Roberta Hamilton Celebration Cup in commemoration of Roberta’s enormous contributions to the club.
While Ray was busy racing, Roberta would often act as a marshal, standing on the corners with a flag, while also being heavily involved in the organising of other cycling events beyond the EMCC, such as the Murray to Moyne and the Port to Port fundraising rides.
The first edition of the Roberta Hamilton Celebration Cup was held on May 27 and was won by Heather Lias, who became the first person to have her name etched on the perpetual trophy.