Walcha councillor Jen Kealey was the annual Town and Country Ladies’ Luncheon guest speaker last Saturday.
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More than 150 women listened to her speak about the importance of community involvement and the difference it has made to her life.
Cr Kealey’s address was at times emotional but also included many laughs as she explained the personal challenges she faced moving to Walcha from remote rural Queensland in 2008.
We make a living by what we get, and a life by what we give. And the world, and our community, belongs to those that show up.
- Jen Kealey
Since moving to the area, Cr Kealey has been extremely active in the community. However, the motives behind her work have not always been entirely altruistic, she revealed in her talk.
“I knew I had to find a way to volunteer in the community before isolation got the better of me,” she said.
“Isolation wasn’t part of my vocabulary when we lived in Richmond, and yet it threatened to be my undoing in beautiful Walcha.
“We were warmly welcomed by many, yet despite this, a void remained. For the first time, I truly understood the value of community work to the person who volunteers.”