Golden Plains Shire celebrates service

A DIVERSE group of Golden Plains residents and one event have been acknowledged during the Shire’s Australia Day awards on Tuesday evening.

Recipients included a voltmeter first responder from Meredith, an active community participant and advocate from Inverleigh, a student from Dereel and an RSL Sub-Branch.

Mayor Cr Owen Sharkey said the community always benefited from the selfless contribution of others.

“On a night like tonight we put volunteers up on a stage and get everyone to not just appreciate what they are doing, but allow them to appreciate what they are doing,” he said.

“We’re 52 tiny communities with everyone lifting little bits of weight, and tonight we got to showcase that.”

Nurse and founding member of the Meredith Community Emergency Response Team, Mary Foster, was named Citizen of the Year.

A resident for 30 years, Ms Foster said she was humbled by her award.

“I am amazed,” she said. “I was surprised to be nominated. The whole community is volunteers, that’s why I don’t feel as if I’ve done anything special. It’s just part of being in a community, making it strong and friendly.”

Retired from professional nursing where she worked as a dementia clinician, Ms Foster never stopped caring about the health of her community.

As a first responder she celebrates with her neighbours, and is there for the challenging times.

“We are going out to a lot of people that we know, and just the fact that they see a friendly face does so much to help them, calm them and lets them know we are there for them,” Ms Foster said.

Senior of the Year, Una Miller from Inverleigh, was chosen for her community involvement over 13 years of living in the town.

She’s a member of the Progress Association, a life member of the Country Women’s Association and is an active parishioner of the Inverleigh Presbyterian Church.

“It’s in my nature,” she said. “I worked in the CWA headquarters for 20 years and that gave me an outlook help people and to go out and do something.”

When it comes to her CWA activities, Ms Miller has taken a leading role in mentoring new and young members if the organisation.

“It’s more than scones jam and cream,” Ms Miller said. “I’ve been a member for 55 years and I think I’ve been able to help people. The CWA does a lot behind the scenes. I enjoy working with youth and the girls at Inverleigh are wonderful.”

Dereel’s Minh-Cho Ho was named as Young Citizen of the year. Her willingness to help others, including Vietnamese peers with English and cultural understanding, was a big part of her recognition.

She also takes part in fundraising for institutions like the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Ballarat Foundation.

In the Community Event category, preserving the memory of the nation’s military sacrifice is more than just duty for the recipients.

From what was originally just placing flowers on orphaned war memorials, the Inverleigh RSL Sub-Branch now coordinates Anzac Day services at across the region.

“I used to lay flowers on all the monuments, but only did two services,” said president Mal Johns. “It’s just grown from there. Because of soldier settler history in the district, a lot of men and women served, and we thought we needed to make sure commemoration was always there.”

The events are a community effort with groups as diverse as the CWA through to historical societies, emergency services and others all helping out.

Mr Johns said the Anzac Day services open the history of wartime sacrifice and military service to new generations.

“The one thing I have noticed is the increasing number of families and children that are coming to the services. That is so important to keep out military history alive,’ he said.

Cr Sharkey said the people nominated, and those who won were a small sample of the ongoing effort taking place across Golden Plains.

“The communities here have done a fantastic job,” said Cr Sharkey. “But I still think there’s others out there that could be nominated.

“I’d challenge the schoolteachers out there to put forward some of the amazing youth we have in our community.”