Julie Dowleans has received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to the Wee Waa community.
“I’m very humbled and very grateful,” said Mrs Dowleans OAM in an interview with the Wee Waa News.
“I actually dropped the phone when I first read the email, burst into tears, then picked the phone up, then read it again.
“And then I got really excited.”
It was a bittersweet moment for Mrs Dowleans who said she would have loved nothing more than to share the news with her late mother, Thea Orman.
“I am very much my mother’s daughter,” said Mrs Dowleans.
“Offering help to others is something that she instilled in me from a young age.”
Mrs Dowleans said she remembers her mother assisting with Meals on Wheels and as a child she would often tag along.
“Mum was born and bred in Wee Waa, she was a volunteer with a number of organisations and she was the Lions Club Senior Citizen of the Year in 2005.”
There’s no doubt Mrs Dowleans has followed in her mother’s footsteps – she’s a community champion who is always willing to put her hand up to provide support.
It’s also no secret that volunteers like Mrs Dowleans are the backbone of country towns – in fact, it’s unlikely anything would get done without them.
A town’s ability to thrive and survive is mostly dependent on the generosity of its residents and their willingness to donate their time, skills and resources.
In Mrs Dowleans’ family, taking the time to volunteer has always been part of life and she has been involved in many organisations over the years including the Lions Club, Wee Waa and District Historical Society and Namoi Echo Museum, Garden Club, Wee Waa Community Care Service, 2MaxFM 91.3 community radio station, Wee Waa Community Care and Meals on Wheels.
Mrs Dowleans also assists individuals who need help with daily tasks and is always looking to make their lives a little bit easier.
She has even been known to come to the rescue of worried neighbours in the middle of the night, in her pyjamas.
“I just like helping people,” said Mrs Dowleans.
“After I had my own children, I started volunteering with the frail, aged and disabled.
“I was helping people who needed transport to Tamworth for medical appointments or shopping trips or social outings.
“I would be in the car with a person for two hours on the way to the doctors and then in the car on the way home again, so I would learn a lot about people in our community.”
Often, Mrs Dowleans was providing transport to people during a very vulnerable period in their lives, but she always showed empathy and compassion.
It’s a style she sticks to today, especially when it comes to caring for older people.
“I affectionately call them ‘oldies’,” said Mrs Dowleans.
“They give you wisdom and they give you great stories.
“I love them dearly.”
And that loving feeling is mutual, Wee Waa resident Shirley Pankhurst described Mrs Dowleans’ OAM recognition as “richly deserved”.
“Julie is always on hand to help the older folk here and if we ever need anything – Julie is always the person to go to,” said Mrs Pankhurst.
“She really is there for anyone who needs help and she’s a very capable person.
“Julie also has a good sense of humour which is much to be desired in our daily lives because I think a day that goes by where I haven’t laughed, is a day wasted,” added Mrs Pankhurst.
On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, Mrs Dowleans’ upbeat personality is beamed out across the airwaves, brightening up the lives of Narrabri Shire residents, when she hosts shows for community radio station 2MAX FM.
“Julie brings a unique style of entertainment,” said radio station manager Cassie Boyd.
“She is just genuine, full of love and she really knows her listeners and makes an effort to play their favourite music.
“Julie makes the effort to drive into Narrabri twice a week from Wee Waa, and she just bounces in the front door with a big smile on her face every time.”
Mrs Boyd said Mrs Dowleans is a popular radio host and her strong connection with listeners has been “crucial” during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Many older community members have been couped up at home, but the familiar sound of Mrs Dowleans’ voice coming through their radios has been comforting and lifted spirits.
“She just lightens the mood with comedy music or poems, she likes to quote humorous poems,” said Mrs Boyd.
For someone who accidently stumbled into a community radio career, Mrs Dowleans does a stellar job and for free.
“I absolutely love what I do, I love serving the community,” said Mrs Dowleans.
“I like making people laugh and I like entertaining them.
“I started in radio 12 years ago, I was actually driving a lady who had a broken arm into Narrabri and I was helping her while she was presenting on-air, and that’s where it started.
“I really loved the request show because people would ring me and they could be in the paddock ploughing on the tractor or they could be at home doing their ironing or they could be on the riverbank fishing.
“One time, it was Valentine’s day and (my co-host) Alicia and I were doing a Friday night shift, and I just looked at her and I said, ‘It’s Valentine’s day, did you get chocolates? Did you get flowers? No. Me Neither.’
“And the next minute there was a knock on the door at the radio station and this lady, I didn’t even know who she was arrived and said, ‘I heard you two whinging. Here’s a box of chocolates’.
“It’s lots of fun.”
Mrs Dowleans might not have been able to celebrate making the Queen’s Birthday Honours List with her late mother but she has been showered with congratulations messages from the community including from her mother’s former friendship group the ‘Wednesday ladies’ – a group of ladies who always meet for lunch on Wednesday.
“My mum was one of the original 12 ‘Wednesday ladies’, they are all very special to me and when mum died, I had 11 mothers to look after me.”
On Monday, some of the ‘Wednesday ladies’ including Joyce Todkill, Denise Horne, Judy Smith, Bev Hardy, Ev Horne and Liz Gibson presented Mrs Dowleans with a beautiful bunch of flowers to congratulate her on the award.
“The reaction from the community has been really heart-warming,” said Mrs Dowleans.
“The ‘Wednesday ladies’ were beside themselves and they wanted to hug me but I said, ‘No, social distancing’.”
Depending on COVID-19 restrictions, Mrs Dowleans will be presented with her Medal of the Order of Australia at a NSW Government House ceremony later this year.
It’s an award she wants to share with Wee Waa.
“I don’t volunteer for any accolades, I volunteer because I love helping my community.
“In a small town like Wee Waa, if something happens to someone or there’s a crisis people rally around,” said Mrs Dowleans.
“This award is about the community.”
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