The Independent Catches up with Junee Can Assist’s Fiona Rynehart.
Junee’s Fiona Rynehart and Alicia White were named to the 2025 NSW Hidden Treasures Honour Roll last week for their contribution to the community.
This prestigious recognition celebrates the invaluable contribution women make to regional, rural and remote communities through volunteer service.
Fiona is President of Junee Can Assist and has been for a number of years, getting many new ideas off the ground and supporting the community, ensuring people undergoing cancer treatment can access vital support without having to travel too far. Fiona has been important in securing funding for Can Assist and doing work on the Poker Run.
Alicia is the brains behind the fantastic Ladies Long Lunch event; she has raised thousands of dollars for Can Assist as well as countless hours supporting those affected by cancer.
They were paid a visit by MP Steph Cooke to congratulate them on their amazing achievement.
Fiona said she was very surprised by the announcement.
“I didn’t realise I’d been nominated for it, so it was quite a surprise to get it in the mail, and then get invited down to Steph Cooke’s office; it was a big surprise.
“I was notified that I was going to win this award. I had never heard of it before, so I looked it up, and they are very prestigious awards. I was quite surprised.
“Alicia White does a great job on the Ladies Long Lunch. We had it last year, and we had over 100 people, and it raised between $8,000 to $10,000 for Can Assist. Alicia has decided that next year, because of the wonderful Canola Way advertising we have, she might do a walk or run.
“We are still in the planning stage, so I’m not sure if we are going to be doing one or both.
“The Council this year is doing a Canola Way yellow lunch at the Memorial Park, and they’ve asked Can Assist to be involved in that, so we are going to assist them with that this year. Alicia has got a few ideas for next year. She’s very much an ideas person.
“She spoke to Steph about her journey with cancer, and then she spoke about receiving the award.
“We went down last Tuesday morning and had a quick morning tea with her. She just wanted to ask us a few questions about what we did and why we do the things we do for our community.
“We would love new volunteers for Can Assist. We assist quite a few people in the Junee Shire area, and now with us taking over the markets on the 1st Sunday of every month, down at the Junee Ex-Services Club carpark, we would love some more people to come and get involved with that. If you’d like to be a market stall holder, let us know, we can also help with that too.”
Jack Murray
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