Take a look at yourself
Joyce Goos’ decades of serving her community have been recognised with an Australia Day Volunteer Award. Mrs Goos is one of a group that was instrumental in getting Queensland’s Biloela’s only aged care service, Wahroonga Retirement Village, up and running. Thirty years later she is still an active member of Wahroonga’s auxillary.
She describes the motivation behind establishing Wahroonga as ‘taking a look around ourselves’.
“We thought when we get to that type of age and can no longer look after ourselves, we don’t want to get chuffed off to Gladstone, we want to stop here,’’ she said.
The auxiliary raised funds by drumming up monetary donations and took donations in kind – cattle and hay to be on-sold were popular pledges in the early 1980s.
She still cooks for cake sales to raise funds for facilities at Wahroonga.
Life has come full circle for Mrs Goos, who now lives at Wahroonga after leaving her farm six years ago following the death of her husband Alvin.
She may be a resident, but she is an active one. Mrs Goos calls the bingo, assists with the morning teas, and helps residents with beauty care and shopping.
Fellow volunteers Lillian Martin and Elaine Fitzgerald nominated their friend because ‘she continues to give back to her community’.
“She is a very humble person and no task is too small,’’ their nomination said.
The description of her early adventures helping to establish the Callide Queensland Country Women’s Association (QCWA) branch resonates with true pioneering spirit.
“Due to lack of facilities in the early days of the QCWA, Joyce walked over three miles through neighbours’ properties to meet with other members in the Callide Creek bed, sitting on logs and holding their meetings,’’ the nomination reads.
When the branch closed she learnt to drive and joined Mt Murchison, where they also held meetings in the creek bed.
Mrs Goos has Life Membership with Callide Valley A & P Society, was given a carer’s award from Diabetes Australia in recognition of the significant care she gave her husband, and has held the posts of president, vice-president and secretary in the QCWA.
