Ballarat’s Queen’s Birthday honours recipients are a very worthy group. But they are also a very interesting group.
Dorothy Lucardie gave birth to her first child at 18 and returned years later to do her Higher School Certificate, sparking a passion for adult learning that saw her become, among many other things, Australia’s representative at the 2012 Global Parliament.
Vietnam veteran Leigh Harvey has dedicated his life to helping other ex-servicemen, including through the Vietnam Veteran’s Association of Australia, the Returned and Services League and the Red Shirts Australia.
Stawell’s Peter Martin has had two careers – a long and distinguished teaching career and an equally exceptional community service record, particularly in the health sector.
Ronald Harris helped establish both scouting and Lifeline in Ballarat and was a long-time Ballarat Begonia Festival volunteer.
Dr David Brumley is a well-known palliative care pioneer, Barry Golding was instrumental in helping establish the men’s shed movement and Vivienne Edlund has done outstanding work for Lisa Lodge, South Street and the Liberal Party.
What all of these recipients have in common – despite such disparate backgrounds – is a desire to help others.
Volunteering is a community service that can’t be underestimated. People give up their time to help others, without any thought of recompense or the hours lost from their daily lives.
All too often it’s the squeaky wheels that get the oil – or the accolades and the publicity – but the bottom line is that it’s the unsung volunteer heroes that we need to recognise.
Imagine if here in Ballarat we didn’t have volunteers delivering Meals on Wheels for Ballarat City Council, or driving the Soup Bus to help feed the homeless, or helping out at the Cops’n’Kids camp or giving legatees a helping hand through the auspices of Legacy.
We should be grateful for all our volunteers and the work they do to serve others in the community. They provide an invaluable service.
And we particularly salute the work of our Queen’s Birthday Honour recipients for their decades of selfless service. Thank you Leigh, Vivienne, Peter, Dorothy, Ron, David and Barry.
