Boonah Show Secretary and Boonah Girl Guide, Beth Hern, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Her name, Elizabeth Fay Hern, features on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list today for service to the community of Boonah.
It’s an unexpected and humbling honour says the woman who has been the Boonah Show Secretary for almost a quarter of a century; is less than six years off notching up half a century as a Boonah Girl Guide, has volunteered in community groups for almost 60 years and has been presented with two Life Memberships by local organisations and a Paul Harris Fellowship by the Boonah Rotary Club.
“I am greatly honoured to receive this award,” Beth said, “but I consider it an award for the whole community, a very special community.
“I love this community and any time I thought I could do something for the community, I have put my hand up willingly.”
While the Covid-19 restrictions are in place it may be some time before she is presented with her medal and so it is likely that Beth will have celebrated her 80th birthday on September 30, before she is called to Government House for the occasion.
It is possible that Beth is only the second woman from the Fassifern to be honoured with the award.
“I think Joie Dwyer may have been the first and for me that is very fitting as Joie has always been one of my role models when it comes to community service,” Beth said as she pondered what the award meant to her.
