All around our region, there are humble heroes around us.
Quiet in their achievements, ask for no recognition, and rarely believe they are doing something extraordinary.
Between busy working schedules and raising children, they selflessly give up their time for others. Their hearts warm with kindness, and their minds strong with determination.
They are people like Tom Dumaresq, 82, who put others first and set out to help change the world around us.
For Mr Dumaresq, there have been a set of life events that have allowed him to live his best life.
They are events that have driven change, given hope to others, inspired strangers and offered him a life he is proud of and is now ready to talk about openly.
“I’m sick of going to funerals and hearing about what people did,” Mr Dumaresq said.
“You have to talk about your life while you’re alive.
“It’s not often you get a chance to tell your story – I’m ready.”
Like blood through one’s veins, Mr Dumaresq was born into a farming family with core values as thick as the earth’s crust and a deep desire to help the world’s environment and people.
Sadly, at the tender age of just four and a half years old, he lost his mother and his father, Edward Alfred, was given no other option but to raise him and his five siblings alone.
A time that Mr Dumaresq said was difficult. However, he said it was a time that he remembers with warmth as he watched his father go above and beyond to do his best for his family.
“It was tough back then and was a different time,” he said.
“Dad worked extremely hard to provide for us children, and I have fond memories of him.
“Farming during the day, knitting socks and jumpers of an evening for us. Growing vegetables and just being there whenever we needed him. He was a good, kind man and embedded strong values into us at an early age.”
Born and raised in Kilmore, Victoria, Mr Dumaresq finished his schooling at Assumption College in 1956.
After leaving school, he worked on local farms as a roustabout, fencer, and hay carter before purchasing land in Kilmore at Willowmaven in 1962.
In 1966, he met the love of his life, Cecily Leahy, and they joined hands in marriage and had three children named Jacinta, Cathie, and Joanne.
Mr Dumaresq said in search of a better place to raise three growing children, they sold their land in Kilmore and purchased land in Tatura, and not long after doing so, their fourth child, Gary, was born.
“It was a really good change for us,” Mr Dumaresq said.
“The children thrived, had excellent educations, and there was something special about the community.
“The farming was constant work. We grew tomatoes and lucerne and grazed lambs and cattle. It was hard work but great.”
When it comes to life achievements for Mr Dumaresq, his admirable list, typed in fine print on delicate A4 pages, is long, and there is no word to describe it other than “impressive”.
For his whole life, alongside his unwavering commitment, just like his father’s, to farming and family, there are other achievements that deserve recognition.
His passion for the environment saw him plant 50,000 trees on his Tatura property, which he said helped with his high-water table on his land.
In 1987, he became the founding member of the Goulburn Valley Tree Group, and today, 26 years on, he remains heavily involved as the president.
Dedicated to helping the environment, he was awarded numerous irrigation and Landcare awards that stretch across the state over several years.
To mention a few, the Australia Day Environmental Award, Victorian Tree Grower of the Year Award, and the Murray Valley Tree Growing Award.
However, alongside those significant achievements, he has been a Commonwealth Games Relay Torchbearer, a CFA member for 64 years, captained the Northwest Mooroopna Fire Brigade for 12 years, and a Justice of the Peace for 39 years.
In 2008, he was honourably awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his significant contributions to his community.
Furthermore, Mr Dumaresq’s work with organisation Assisi Aid Projects is something he said changed his life.
“In 1985, after meeting Sister Stella Eddattu, I helped founder Assisi alongside other like-minded individuals who were passionate about helping women and children in India,” he said.
“Her story moved me, and she impressed me so much that I knew I had to try and help.
“Assisi Aid Projects helps women and children with economic and social impacts and their communities in the Asia-Pacific region.
“For them, it’s life-changing, and being part of it has changed my life.
“I am still a part of the organisation, but like everything, we all reach the age of no return, and now the younger generations are coming in.”
Assisi Aid Projects’ origins trace back to when Sister Stella, a nun from India, visited Victoria to learn dairy farming techniques to help fight food insecurity.
After spending seven months on dairy farms throughout regional Victoria, she returned to India by ship, paying for her trip by managing 33 Australian cattle in the ship’s hull.
At the end of this journey, she retained six of the cows, and the Assisi Farm and Training Centre was established. Sharing the skills she learnt from her time in Australia with her community in Tamil Nadu, Sister Stella was able to train women in dairy farming.
In 1985, Assisi Aid Projects was formed, aiming to provide support to the centre. The long-standing, mutual partnership empowered thousands of women and their families across Tamil Nadu to transform their livelihoods through income generation and skills training.
Assisi Aid Projects also directly supported the communities in Tamil Nadu impacted by the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Individuals from communities across regional Victoria raised funds to support the purchase of new fishing boats, replacing those destroyed by the natural disaster, with Mr Dumaresq raising more than $1 million on his own.
“I was listening to John Faine on ABC radio,” Mr Dumaresq said.
“They were talking about how much money Melbourne’s New Year’s Eve fireworks would cost.
“So, I called them up and said, ‘I know where money could be better well spent’ and then continued to tell them what Assisi was trying to help with.
“The phone didn’t stop ringing for blooming months. I raised $1 million, which helped get those people back on their feet.”
Today, Mr Dumaresq can often be found helping with Justice of the Peace duties at the Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre.
His passions and strong values remain beside him, and with his family, community, and the world, he still endeavours to help as much as he can from the sidelines of his new home at the Rodney Park Retirement Village with his wife.
Three years ago, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease but said for now, he would be doing what he could and was doing okay.
“I’m still getting around alright. There is no good hiding it. It’s something I have to talk about too,” he said.
“My travelling days are over now, but I have been lucky enough to travel extensively overseas in my years and walk the Himalayas in Nepal, the Andes in Peru to Machu Picchu and the Kokoda Track in New Guinea.
“I’ve raised good kids who always try to help others, and I am very proud of them and my grandchildren.
“I’ve had a wonderful, blessed life, but helping others has given me some of the best experiences in my time.”
Mr Dumaresq's dedication to service, unwavering spirit, and the profound impact he has made on countless lives stand as an enduring testament to the power of one individual's selflessness and determination.
His legacy of compassion and tireless commitment is inspirational.