Marj Fairlie humbled by OAM Honour

Congratulations to RSL Care Baycrest Retirement Village resident, Edith (Marj) Fairlie, who was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) as part of the Australia Day celebration, in recognition of her 50-years of volunteer and charity work.

Marj’s life of volunteering began when she offered to help a group of nurses in 1962 in Hervey Bay to organise a door knock appeal after finding out they were organising the fundraiser in their own time.

“I offered to organise things so that the nurses could carry on with their important work. I did it because I had the spare time and it was a privilege to help others. I feel you can’t be focussed on just yourself in this world and my time was my gift that I was happy to give.”

After working with the nurses Marj continued to volunteer in a charity shop for the Blue Nurses, then as a member of the parish council for the Uniting Church.

It was for this work that her colleagues were inspired to nominate her for the prestigious award.

The award took Marj completely by surprise and she shared that it was almost like being a celebrity in her local Hervey Bay community, with so many people calling to congratulate her.

“I am heartened and very humbled by the whole experience; I never set out for accolades or recognition in anyway and am very happy to work behind the scenes to support other people to do good things for our community.”

“I was lucky to have the time volunteering and enjoyed every bit of it. My philosophy in life is if you enjoy what you’re doing then you will do it well.”

Marj is an active and social member of RSL Care Baycrest.

To celebrate the award, Retirement Village Manager, Julie Poole hosted a morning tea for Marj so the other residents could share in the celebrations and congratulate her on this wonderful achievement. 

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