By Casey Neill
Yvonne Smith almost turned down the Greater Dandenong Citizen of the Year Award.
“I didn’t want to accept it at first,” she said.
“I thought ‘I’m a team person, nobody does anything on their own’.
“The lady assured me I’d be letting down the people who sponsored me for the award.”
She received the honour at the council’s Australia Day Festival in Dandenong Park, on Thursday 26 January.
“I feel a bit of a dill, actually,” she said.
“All the ladies in my branch, they all do what I do.”
Her branch is the Noble Park Country Women’s Association (CWA), where Ms Smith has been a member for 29 years.
“It’s my second family really,” she said.
“I’ve always been keen on craft.
“I always said that when I had a bit of free time I was going to join.
“I love it, I just love it.”
Ms Smith, 80, has learnt and shared many skills over the years.
“We’re very lucky in our branch because there’s some very talented needle women,” she said.
“Whatever you want to learn there’s someone there who can show you.
“We do so much for the community, it’s a great branch.
“We support the Glenallen School and the Springvale Park Special Developmental School.
“We do a little bit for Emerson School.
“Every Easter our members knit little tiny chickens big enough to put an egg in.
“They go to those schools, just to their littlies.
“This year we finished up giving out about 130.
“We’ve been doing that now for five or six years.”
They also sew clothing protectors for the children with physical disabilities at those schools, made painting smocks for students in storm-devastated Vanuatu, knit blankets for the homeless, support Noble Park parenting service The Queen Elizabeth Centre and more.
“We’re always doing something for someone,” Ms Smith said.
Read full stories about Ms Smith, Mr Anson, the young leaders and Ms Raphael.
