By Jesse Graham
WORK on a Healesville retreat for kids with cancer will begin early next year, with almost one million dollars being raised to get the project off the ground.
The Mail reported in 2014 that the Nicholas Timms Foundation, set up in memory of a boy who died from cancer at 21 months, had received council’s support in establishing a cancer retreat in Healesville.
Michael Timms, Nicholas’ father and co-founder of the foundation with his wife Belinda, told the Mail last week that after “a fair bit of red tape” to change the zoning of the land, the retreat’s permits had been approved.
“It’s a green light now,” he said.
“We expect to start construction early next year – it won’t be completely finished next year, by the end of 2018 it should be all up and running.”
In late October, volunteers Di Marsh, Ali Payne and Leona McHugh wandered Healesville to hand out pamphlets about the retreat and collecting donations for a cocktail event on Friday, 11 November at Mordialloc’s Woodlands Golf club.
The event, the Nicholas Timms Foundation Magic Million Cocktail Gala, runs from 6.30pm-9.30pm and costs $110 per person for entry, or $120 for a bus pick up and return from Ringwood.
Ms Marsh, Ms Payne and Ms Hughes were just some of about a dozen people volunteering for the foundation on the day, with other people helping to clear the land ahead of next year’s construction.
The trio said some of the businesses they had visited had donated items to be auctioned or raffled off on the night to raise money, and to promote Healesville and the Yarra Valley to visitors.
“The local traders have been very receptive and quite interested in what’s happening in their local area,” Ms Marsh said.
Mr Timms said the night would be the eighth year a fund-raiser had been held for the foundation, with $928,000 raised so far – this year, and added that they were hoping to break the million dollar mark.
He said the volunteers’ visit was some of the first contact between the foundation and the Healesville community, and that he hoped residents would get involved as the project got underway.
“I’m hoping when we start construction, we can really get the local people involved,” Mr Timms said.
“Once we get started, we’ll be looking for supplies and tradies and whoever to get involved, so the more, the merrier.”
Nicholas Timms was diagnosed with stage four malignant rhabdoid tumour (MRT), a rare childhood cancer, after his first birthday.
Though he responded well to his first rounds of treatment, the tumour grew back in size, and the family was told in November 2008 that nothing more could be done – two weeks later, he passed away.
The family then set up the foundation and partnered with the charity Challenge to get the retreat underway.
Once completed, the foundation will donate the retreat to the charity.
The land for the retreat, at 25 Maroondah Parade, Healesville, was purchased in 2013, but the retreat faced an immediate hurdle of the land being based on Green Wedge land.
In 2014, Yarra Ranges councillors voted unanimously in support of a planning scheme amendment to change the zoning on that block, to allow a planning application for the retreat to be submitted.
Ryrie Ward councillor Fiona McAllister said at the time that the retreat was an “incredibly valuable and wonderful use” for the site, and that the community would support the proposal.
For more information about the foundation or the retreat, or to offer support, visit www.teamnick.org.au or email info@teamnick.org.au.
