February 28 - March 5, 2024
Making a difference by volunteering By CORAL COOKSLEY
BEECHWORTH resident Chris Dormer had her outstanding contributions to both Beechworth and Stanley communities recognised when named Indigo Shire’s Citizen of the Year in last month’s local Australia Day award celebrations held in Beechworth. For Chris, volunteering is a natural way of life having grown up near Warren in the central western country district of NSW with her parents as role models being active in their community. “Volunteering was always part of our family life as my parents both put their hands up to help and we were always talking what was happening in the community,” she said. “You grew up with that, it’s what you do, and I love volunteering and like working with people.” Living in Stanley for 34 years with a move to Beechworth eight years ago, Chris hasn’t stopped volunteering to help make a difference to her communities. Among a string of volunteer roles as a
◆ COMMUNITY STALWART: Volunteer and Stanley Athenaeum coordinator, Chris, Dormer, loves helping to look after the athenaeum’s local history reference collection, community archives for family history and its photographic collection. PHOTO: Coral Cooksley
founding or committee member for various organisations she has been a longtime member of the Beechworth Arts Council. “The Beechworth Arts Council has done a lot of community things over the years including bringing live music to Beechworth, starting the monthly farmer’s markets back in 1981 and we held film festivals in Mayday Hill’s Bijou theatre,” she said. “We were part of developing a rich and vibrant community. “I was originally a teacher but then gave it away and worked at the Burke Museum for 10 years. “With an interest in art I did go back to study a Diploma of Visual Arts at the Riverina College of Advanced Education now Charles Sturt University in Albury. “It was really great because we were taught how to frame and present work, and organise exhibitions giving us all those sorts of skills which were really useful when I worked at the Burke Museum.
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