It was the Bathurst community in the 1990s that identified the need for a specialised cancer care centre outside the walls of the Bathurst Base Hospital, the Bathurst community that raised most of the money to build the centre, and Bathurst tradespeople who donated their skills to ensure the job was done.

Not surprisingly, the Bathurst community has a sense of ownership of Daffodil Cottage – as the previous state Labor government found when there was talk of a planned takeover of the facility as part of the Bathurst Base Hospital redevelopment.

The people of Bathurst protested loud and long and the government was forced into retreat, even signing a memorandum of understanding in 2009 that confirmed there would be no changes to the operations of Daffodil Cottage.

It was a victory for the people, a victory for common sense, and a triumph for the spirit of community that exists in our town.

And now it is time to harness that spirit of community again as a fundraising campaign gets under way to pay for extensions and a redevelopment of the cottage.

Bathurst Regional Council has already approved plans that will double the treatment capacity of Daffodil Cottage, but now the fundraising committee must find a way to pay for the work.

Health Minister Jillian Skinner is expected to confirm some state government funding today, but the community will also be asked to dig deep.

And while many local families might be doing it tough at the moment, we all know someone who has been affected by cancer and so we all have a reason to support this very worthy cause.

Bathurst is at its best when the community comes together to fight for something it believes in. And what could we believe in more than supporting Daffodil Cottage?