"Some of the locals worked from daylight to dark and I couldn't be prouder of a whole bunch of people that I don't know that well. The beautiful thing that I love about Australia, is that in every community all over the country this weekend, someone is doing something for someone and that's what makes us who we are."

For a Bondi builder content to flip waterfront properties before he was "dragged kicking and screaming" in 2011 onto Ten's short-lived competition reality series, The Renovators, Du Bois has adjusted well to celebrity. He was offered that gig on the same day a doctor predicted he had three months to live.

"I said to the casting agent, 'If you give me a call in three months and I answer the phone, I'll come in', and four months later, I was on the set."

He accepts with grace the public sense of ownership that comes with the job and is prepared to spend much longer than he needs to when he pops out to the hardware store. He's routinely invited to inspect people's bathrooms or decks, greeted as if he is a close friend, and once, affectionately told by a woman to "lose the gut".

"She felt close enough to give me that real advice. I thought it was brilliant," he laughs.

While he jokes that he'd happily take Scott Cam's job and host The Block, on the condition it moved to Ten, Du Bois is happy giving renovation advice without the "soap opera" of a reality contest.

"You'll always learn something on my segment," he says.

Along with becoming an unofficial advocate for people living with cancer, Du Bois is a board member of suicide prevention organisation, RUOK?. He's also a champion of building sustainability and is working on the HIIVE solar-powered classroom project, as well as an off-the-grid classroom for children with autism. Despite what sounds like a hectic schedule, Du Bois prioritises his down time.

"I live with cancer. I work probably harder than the average person on my fitness, my diet, my medication routine. I know how important it is to have as much quality, beautiful time with my children and my wife. I think a lot of people take life for granted and when you're given a date when it might end, it becomes easier to see where the balance is required."