Rotorua cancer survivor rallies painters, suppliers to paint Cancer Society office for free

Rotorua painter Don McCarrison was diagnosed with melanoma last year after noticing a sore on his ear. His family has been plagued with cancer, with McCarrison losing his parents and two brothers to it. McCarrison is now “giving back” to the cancer community by rallying painters and suppliers to paint Rotorua’s Cancer Society office for free. Megan Wilson reports.

Don McCarrison has lost his mother, father, and two brothers to cancer before being diagnosed with melanoma himself last year.

But the 73-year-old remains positive despite losing so many immediate family members.

McCarrison’s father died of cancer in 1963.His mother died in the late 2000s. His oldest brother died in 2018 and another brother in 2020.

Asked how he had coped with so much loss, McCarrison said: “You just get on with life and make the most of it while you’re here.

“If you dwell on things, it just drags you down.”

Don McCarrison’s melanoma diagnosis

McCarrison, who owns Bay Decorators in Rotorua, said he saw a doctor after noticing a sore on his nose and his ear.

He underwent surgery and a he was diagnosed with melanoma after a biopsy was taken.

Within a week of his diagnosis, he was having radiation treatment at Tauranga Hospital.

“It knocked me around a little bit, of course, but not too badly.

In January, he was given the all-clear.

Cancer survivor Don McCarrison is giving back to the cancer community by rallying painters and suppliers to paint Rotorua’s Cancer Society office for free. Photo / Andrew Warner

McCarrison said working outside as a painter and decorator may have contributed to him getting melanoma.

“Also I played sport in the summer. We weren’t educated like we are these days.

“You’re out in that sun all the time ... that’s what’s probably caused it.”

McCarrison, who enjoyed playing golf and socialising, said he wore more clothes and a hat more often.

Painting the Cancer Society Rotorua office free of charge to ‘give back’

In light of his experience, McCarrison has rallied local painters and suppliers to paint the Cancer Society office in Rotorua for free.

McCarrison, who has been a painter for almost 60 years, said he gave the Cancer Society a quote for painting the office last year but did not hear back.

“We realised they’re a bit short on funds so ... I asked [Dulux] if they’d like to contribute towards the Cancer Society building and they never hesitated.

“They do a lot for people so it’s our way of giving back to the community also.”

The project which was to start on February 12 was set to finish on February 17.

Dulux trade representative Chris Lord (left) and cancer survivor Don McCarrison are helping paint the Rotorua Cancer Society's office free of charge. Photo / Andrew Warner

Dulux trade representative Chris Lord, based in Rotorua, said it was great to “give back” to the Cancer Society.

He and potentially two other Dulux representatives from Hamilton or Tauranga would help with the project.

Lord said Dulux painted Lynmore Scout Hall last year as a community project.

In a statement, Cancer Society Waikato/Bay of Plenty chief executive Helen Carter said she was “always worried” about money, even more so when it needed to be spent on repairs and maintenance “instead of front-line service”.

“That’s why we really appreciated it when Don offered to paint our Rotorua office for free, and rallied around his contacts to make it happen.

“We could not be more grateful to Don and all the crew who will be giving our building a much-needed makeover on February 17.”

In Rotorua, the Cancer Society responded to the practical needs of locals with cancer, such as home visits from an experienced nurse, regular support groups, and accommodation near Waikato Hospital for away-from-home treatment.

Carter said cancer rates were rising “at an alarming pace,” so the service it provided was needed “now more than ever”.

She said the Cancer Society relied heavily on the generosity of the local community to support thousands of people with cancer every year across the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Lakes regions.

The Bay of Plenty Times reported last year that the Cancer Society’s Lions Lodge accommodation near Waikato Hospital had a “record” number of people staying, with one cancer patient’s wife saying their stay was “absolutely wonderful”.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.