FIONA Lindsay’s love for Dunolly started with a beautiful, old house.
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She and her late husband, Richard Wright, were looking for country home to call their own after he was appointed chief magistrate at Bendigo.
“And we just happened across our house. It’s this wonderful Georgian house, a big two-storey house. And he said, ‘Oh, we could do something with this...’
“I thought, ‘That’s it!’”
The 18-month restoration process gave them an appreciation for the depth of talent in the community, starting with the tradespeople working on the project.
Then, Ms Lindsay received an invitation to convene the committee at the helm of Dunolly’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
“That was a great way of getting to know dozens and hundreds of people in the community and get a feel for the richness of the community,” she said.
This Australia Day, Ms Lindsay is being honoured for her service to the community of Dunolly with a Medal of the Order of Australia.
In the past 14 years, she has chaired the Dunolly Historic Precinct Committee, chaired the Rural Transaction Centre committee, been president of Dunolly and District Inc, presided over the Dunolly Recreation Reserves Committee of Management, been president of the Northern Goldfields Tourism Association and chair of the Dunolly Hospital Auxiliary.
Ms Lindsay was heavily involved in the Maryborough District Health Service from about 2008 – 2016.
She sat on the Mental Health Review Board and Mental Health tribunal from 2000 – 2018.
People might also know her from her cafe of 10 years, Wright of Broadway, which showcased central Victorian artists, food and wine.
It's all about affirming people...giving them opportunities to bring out their talents, put them on show.
- Fiona Lindsay, OAM
Before moving to Dunolly, Ms Lindsay taught social work at RMIT and the University of Melbourne.
“Wherever I have been, I’ve got involved,” she said.
She was hopeful the people of Dunolly would be happy about her award, and that it would highlight the community’s achievements.
“If any individual gets recognition, it's the larger group that also deserves that recognition because everything's a team effort,” Ms Lindsay said.
She will be celebrating with her two children and her grandson.
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