Warrnambool’s Vicki Jellie won the hearts and admiration of a nation on Wednesday night when she was named Australia’s Local Hero of 2017.
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She volunteered countless hours and boundless emotion to help establish a south-west cancer care centre after the death of her husband Peter in 2008.
Mr Jellie had dreamed of developing a centre in the region so people like him didn’t have to travel to Melbourne and Geelong for treatment and missing critical time with loved ones.
Peter’s wish, so passionately pursued by Ms Jellie, united the south-west community. Together, mums, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, colleagues and strangers raised $5 million to help fund the centre.
Ms Jellie was repeatedly told it could not be done. She never took no for an answer.
Appropriately, Ms Jellie opened the centre in 2016. There was not a dry eye among the invited guests. The tears of joy, wiped away then, returned this week when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced Ms Jellie's honour in Canberra.
Ms Jellie was never in it for personal accolades. Anyone who has met her will tell you that. Selflessly, in accepting her award on Wednesday night, she said the term local hero belonged to the south-west community. “Together we’ve proven that nothing’s impossible,” she said.
Ms Jellie is an everyday Australian who has and will continue to make a difference to our world. Already the cancer centre has treated 150 people – the equivalent of 13 cricket sides. Her tenacity and commitment serves as inspiration that any Australian can make a difference.
Australia Day gives us a platform to honour those who change our lives. Rightly, we celebrate the Ms Jellies and the host of other local champions with awards at national and community level.
Former councillors, Warrnambool’s Rob Askew and Derrinallum’s Geoff Smith, Port Fairy RSL Sub-Branch president Jim Lane were awarded Order of Australia medals. They were among 10 people with south-west connections to receive national recognition.
But why don’t we do it more? For too long we have been happy to perpetuate the tall poppy syndrome, cutting down achievers for no other reason than to mask our own shortcomings and insecurities.
It’s uplifting to talk about inspiring deeds in the challenging world of 2017.
