A chat with his wife five years ago has led to Howlong resident Wayne Lamb raising $55,000 to date for the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre (AWRCC).
Popularly known as ‘Lamby’, he collects empty bottles and cans, deposits them with Return and Earn Corowa and donate the 10-cent refunds to the AWRCC.
The Lamb family has relations and friends who have lost their battle with cancer, and Lamby’s wife Lisa has experienced and overcome cancer.
Lisa said to me it’d be a good idea to raise money for the cancer council,” Lamby said. “I lost a close mate to cancer 30 years ago. We came up with the idea of collecting recyclable can and bottles.
“The first year I raised $2,500 last year $14,500 and I reckon we’ll get close to $20,000 this year.”
The 65-year-old former plasterer and now part-time bartender appreciates support from townspeople, including businesses, such as pubs and caravan parks, that save their bottles and cans for him.
“A lot of small businesses contribute,” Lamby said. “The Courthouse Hotel even supplied a trailer for me to use and covers its registration costs. Some people save up cans and bottles and drop them off at my place (in Townsend Street).”
Long-time Howlong resident David Longley praised the man behind the project.
“Lamby’s a cracker of a bloke – a really good servant of the community,” he said. “He’s doing a wonderful job for the cancer council, rising a lot of money. It’s a credit to what he’s doing.”
Mr Longley, of course, is a councillor on Federation Council. “Federation Council is a strong supporter of the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre and it’s great to have an individual in your home town raising money for to help patients and research,” Cr Longley said.
Lamby derives a lot of satisfaction from his project. “Everybody knows someone who’s had cancer, so I thought that was a good place for the money to go,” he said.
AWRCC staff at the centre have shown their appreciation for Wayne’s contributions by having a plaque displayed in the centre acknowledging his donations.