Established by the Charitable Foundation in 2018 to honour the late Michael Slater, who was both Chairman of Newcastle Permanent Building Society and Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation for almost 10 years as well as a prolific volunteer for more than 50 years, the Medal acknowledges the contribution of an outstanding individual volunteer to their organisation’s work.
“To be awarded the Chairman’s Medal this year was a big surprise to me as I didn’t even know I’d been nominated. I don’t believe I’ve done anything out of the ordinary. I just do this to help other people, so to be acknowledged in this way is a real pleasure,” Garth said.
“Volunteering provides an insight into other people’s lives. Sometimes it can be good, other times people can be dealing with challenging news or circumstances, so it can be reassuring for them to have someone to chat to and we can help point them in the direction of other services.
“The Cancer Council is an excellent place to work and the Transport to Treatment service makes a huge difference to people undergoing treatment, as a lot of the people have no other means of transport to a treatment centre.
“Personally I get a sense of achievement from being able to help people in their times of need. It’s a pleasure to be able to make life a bit easier for patients undergoing their cancer journey and we get thanked all the time by our clients and their families.”
Being considered high-risk himself, Garth undergoes regular screenings and recommends other people do the same.
“What I’ve learnt is that no one is bullet proof from cancer, but if you can catch it early, there’s a better chance of survival, so I’d encourage everyone to get tested,” Garth said.