Australia’s Local Hero of the Year, Shanna Whan of Maules Creek, was able to share her story of establishing her charity all the way to Buckingham Palace.
Mrs Whan was among the gathering of this year’s Australian of the Year winners and the Governor-General of Australia to address Queen Elizabeth II virtually in May.
The video call, however, was released at the weekend as celebrations were in full swing in the United Kingdom to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
Mrs Whan, who is the founder of the national charity Sober in the Country, has described the meeting as a true honour.
“For about seven years now I have committed my entire life and heart and soul to service to the community in a very specific area which is in rural and remote Australia,” Mrs Whan told the Queen in the online meeting.
“In particular, I work through my charity I founded which is called Sober in the Country.
“I’m raising awareness around alcohol harm, specifically in rural and remote areas where the barriers of permanent isolation, as we call it, never end.”
The Queen listened intently and could be seen nodding her head as Mrs Whan briefly spoke about the charity and the important role it plays.
“It would be fair to say that my passion is to ensure that the people who get up and show up in floods and fires and droughts, to feed the rest of this amazing country, are supported when they need some help in their own time of need,” Mrs Whan told the Queen.
“Tragically, the whole abuse and indeed addiction is a big issue for us in the bush.”
Mrs Whan told the Queen her charity stemmed from her own experience with alcoholism.
“I do that because I nearly died from my own battle with alcoholism,” she said.
Following Mrs Whan’s talk about her charity, the Queen responded to Mrs Whan to describe it as marvellous.
The Queen asked Mrs Whan about the challenges of running the charity during the COVID pandemic.
Mrs Whan responded, saying that the pandemic proved that when people are in isolation, the barriers to getting help and support are amplified and exacerbated.
The conversation between the pair continued when the Queen queried about Mrs Whan’s home.
Given the Queen’s love of dogs and horses, Mrs Whan made mention of her own beloved animals at the Maules Creek property she and her husband Tim call home.
During the virtual conversation, images of Mrs Whan and her husband at their local home flashed up on screen.
Australian of the Year recipient Dylan Alcott, Senior Australian of the Year recipient Valmai Dempsey and Young Australian of the Year recipient Dr Daniel Nour also had the opportunity to converse with the Queen alongside Governor-General, His Excellency David Hurley.
Later in the online audience, Mr Hurley went on to describe Mrs Whan’s charitable work as “absolutely vital”.
The screening of the online audience comes as Mrs Whan shared her commitment to changing attitudes towards alcohol usage in the bush through Australian Story.
The second instalment focusing on the important work of Sober in the Country on the ABC documentary series screened on the national broadcaster last night.
Queen Elizabeth II held an online audience with Australian of the Year award recipients.
