Lynette Franklin’s life has been well-lived, characterised by exemplary acts of service, a passion for learning and the kindness to help others.
These are just some of the reasons she is now also the recipient of a Medal of the Order of Australia in the general division.
But she’s not one to talk much about herself. In fact, despite her work, Ms Franklin remains humble about her achievements.
“I was shocked,” Ms Franklin said about receiving the phone call saying she had won.
“I was going to say no, but then I thought how unkind I would be to the people who did all the work to put my name forward.”
From her work as an author, a community leader and volunteer, a researcher and a woman who paved the way for others, the results of Ms Franklin’s actions are clearly visible within her community.
Ms Franklin moved to Nathalia in 1973 with her husband, Barry, and two children and worked as a dairy farmer.
While managing a farm and raising two children, Ms Franklin was also a lay preacher for the Uniting Church, which often saw her travel across the region.
Ms Franklin has spent time on several committees, such as the Nathalia District Hospital board, where she remained for 10 years, and Barwon Homestead, where she took on several roles over 25 years, including finance secretary.
Ms Franklin sat on the Nathalia Cemetery Trust board for several years, and for more than 20 years, she’s been a member and newsletter editor for the Nathalia Probus Club.
From 1992 to 1994, Ms Franklin was one of the councillors who saw the amalgamation of Nathalia Shire Council, to become part of Moira Shire Council.
She was the only woman on the council then and the second female councillor in Nathalia’s history.
“I remember once, it came up that council could name a road, and I did the background research myself, and all male councillors just stood up and said, ‘I want, I want’, and they had not a leg to stand on because I’d done the research and put it forward,” Ms Franklin said.
“You can imagine how well that went down.”
This street in question is now known as Davidson O’Malley Court, thanks to Ms Franklin, who discovered Davidson and O’Malley as the first selectors to enter Barwon Parish.
It was one of many moments when Ms Franklin’s passion for research remained unmatched.
She is the chief researcher at the Nathalia and District Historical Society and has been for more than 20 years now.
She often researches aspects of Nathalia’s history and helps families who come into the centre find out information about their genealogy.
Ms Franklin published her first book, So Moate It Be, in 1999. She describes it as her ‘magnum opus’, which she remains incredibly proud of.
“Moate is my maiden name, and it’s a worldwide book, and it got the Alexander Henderson Award for genealogical studies in Victoria,” she said.
From this, the writing has never stopped.
Ms Franklin went on to write 11 other books ranging in topic from the history of Nathalia and it’s geography, to one on the Methodist Church, several themed books on the history of those buried in the Nathalia cemetery and a book on the truth-telling of the invasion of the Bangarang people.
Ms Franklin has also been an avid volunteer and member of various groups over the years, including the Broken Creek Improvement Group for Landcare Victoria and Meals on Wheels.
She was also involved in the Numurkah Singers group as a member.
When asked why she continues writing books and dedicating her time to her community, Ms Franklin said she couldn’t see herself doing anything else.
“I like the challenge,” she said.
“I want to be useful to the community.”