A Numurkah husband and wife have been awarded Order of Australia Medals in this year’s Australia Day awards.
Dorothy and Peter Heard have been heavily involved in several organisations in the Numurkah community for several years and were recognised for their hard work with one of Australia’s top awards on Australia Day.
Robert “Bob” Brown of Tocumwal was also awarded an Order of Australia for ‘‘service to the community through history preservation organisations’’.
Since moving to Tocumwal in 1989, he spent his retirement documenting the history of the Tocumwal Aerodrome and the lives of people who served it.
The couple was pleased, but very humbled to each receive an Order of Australia.
“When you do things, you don’t do it thinking I’ll get rewarded for it one day,” Mr Heard, 82, said.
“I’m blown away.
“I’d like to thank the people who went to the effort to nominate us.
“I really don’t think I deserve this.
“Plenty of people do things to deserve this award as much as we do.
“I’m honoured to be nominated and awarded it.”
Mrs Heard, 78, said the OAMs came as a surprise.
“We’ve always worked and helped in the district and local community,” she said.
“We never did it to receive an award. We’re humbled by the whole thing.”
The couple has been married for 57 years and much of their lives have been spent doing things together, whether for their own family or for the community.
“Whatever Dorothy’s in, I help her, and she helps me,” Mr Heard said.
“We’ve worked on the farm together, were in business together and are in groups together.”
Both Mr and Mrs Heard are involved with the Numurkah Town Band, and are both life members.
Mr Heard has been the president of the band for 18 years and is the musician librarian, as well as being a former band leader.
He has also played the trombone with the band for the past 60 years.
Mrs Heard is the current secretary and a drummer in the band.
Such is their devotion to the band, that both Mr and Mrs Heard were part of the band’s performance at the Numurkah Australia Day ceremony this year.
Mrs Heard also led the gathered crowd in the singing of the Australian national anthem on the day.
Both are involved with the Numurkah Singers, with Mrs Heard a foundation member of the group as well as a high soprano for the past 50 years.
Mr Heard is a player and supporter of the group.
Also continuing in the singing vein, Mrs Heard has been a high soprano with the Numurkah Choristers for 18 years, and the couple was involved in running a sing-a-long at Karinya Nursing Home for many years.
Mrs Heard was also a founding member of choral group Polyphony 25 years ago.
The couple is also heavily involved with its church, with Mrs Heard having held various roles at the Numurkah Uniting Church, including being an elder, fellowship secretary and flower arranger, while Mr Heard’s roles have included maintenance and boarding co-ordinator.
Both have been involved with the Numurkah Town Hall Committee of Management since the late 1990s, a project close to their hearts as Mr Heard’s grandfather was the shire secretary for 30 years and had a lot to do with the hall when it was built in 1938.
They are also Meals on Wheels volunteers and members of the Numurkah Combined Probus Club.
Mr Heard was also a volunteer driver of school buses for 11 years.
Other awards Mrs Heard has previously received include being named the Numurkah Citizen of the Year in the 2016 Australia Day Awards and receiving the Numurkah Rotary Community Service Award in 2010.
While both have received OAMs, the Heards don’t appear to be giving up on their volunteering anytime soon, with plenty of groups still the lucky recipients of their time.
As for their Australia Day, the Heards said the day was full of lots of congratulatory phone calls from all over the country as news of their award filtered out.