{"id":64301,"date":"2023-01-26T09:51:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T22:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/?p=64301"},"modified":"2023-01-27T11:07:38","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T00:07:38","slug":"serving-the-community-in-their-own-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/serving-the-community-in-their-own-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving the community in their own way"},"content":{"rendered":"

HIGHTON couple Kenneth and Sheila Mansfield have decades of serving the people of the Geelong region between them, but in entirely separate fields.<\/p>\n

Both were individually awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) yesterday (Thursday, January 26) for service to community of Geelong as part of this year’s Australia Day Honours List.<\/p>\n

The couple has been married for nearly six decades but their associations and work with many community groups have never overlapped.<\/p>\n

Kenneth’s service includes being a charter member of the Rotary Club of Highton since 1975, a foundation member of the Geelong and Surfcoast Cycling Club since 1977 and several positions at the Highton Bowls Club since 2002.<\/p>\n

Sheila was honoured for, among other roles, being a joint founding member of Samaritan House in 2010, several roles at St Bernard’s Catholic Church, and five years as a prison chaplain at Barwon Prison in Lara.<\/p>\n

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“I was very surprised to find out, but pleased that more women now are being recognised now for the awards.” Sheila said.<\/p>\n

“I feel that we’re both very ordinary people and not ones for accolades.<\/p>\n

“We’ve been married 59 years but we’ve always done different volunteer work.”<\/p>\n

She said she was particularly proud of her service with Samaritan House, where she was on the inaugural board from 2012 to 2014.<\/p>\n

“That’s going very well now.”<\/p>\n

Kenneth said his time in cycling was a highlight for him, including fundraising rides across the Nullarbor from Perth to Melbourne for the Fred Hollows Foundation, around Tasmania, and from Sydney to Brisbane.<\/p>\n

“You feel you’re doing some good as a consequence of participating, and that’s always something you feel pretty proud about.”<\/p>\n

Sheila thanked her daughter Lisa for her work in researching the couple’s service as part of the nomination process.<\/p>\n

The others awarded OAMs across the Geelong region were:<\/p>\n