Marlene Miller at a Finding Fillmore’s gig. She’d asked blues guitarist Ray Beadle to play a classic, Kansas City. He invited her on stage to sing it herself, so she did. Photo: Karen Lateo.
Often when a journalist can’t come up with an idea for a column, they fall back on writing about not having an idea for a column.
I’ve seen it done in a number of guises over the years, some very clever, others very mundane.
The boss expects me to produce a Letter from the Editor every Saturday. The boss doesn’t realise that the request is sometimes challenging, particularly when one fails to have an engaging, original topic to write about.
I refuse to write a column about not having an idea for a column, so in the interests of keeping a job I love, I decided to revisit some of the inspirational characters I’ve “met” through Region Illawarra.
The vast majority of these Illawarriors are average, ordinary people – the difference is they have done some pretty extraordinary things with their lives, while remaining humble.
So, as I sit at my desk watching rain fill up the backyard swamp, I reckon we could all do with a few stories to brighten up what has otherwise been a pretty dreary week.
A feisty little lady who loves the nightlife
Marlene Miller is a staple of the Kiama music scene, often seen in the front row at gigs, always brightly and impeccably dressed.
The 81-year-old is a fierce and passionate supporter of Kiama’s bid for an entertainment precinct because: “Music to me is everything. Music transcends age barriers. It connects people. It’s magical.”
And if people don’t agree, that’s bad luck. “What do people think of me? I don’t give a stuff! I’m going to be who I am.” Good on you Marlene, there should be more people just like you!
Gary McLeish has lived on the same Albion Park Rail street for 50 years and is always the first to offer a helping hand to his neighbours.
His efforts certainly haven’t gone unnoticed by those Conifer Street neighbours, who successfully nominated him for Shellharbour’s Good Neighbour Of the Year.
As one of Gary’s nominators put it: “You can’t buy good neighbours. You can only hope you have them.” Ain’t that the truth!
At the tender age of 86, Helen McKay, better known as Mrs Mac, decided to retire from a job she had held for more than 50 years. The beloved swim coach had been the beating heart of Oak Flats Swimming Club, teaching generations of swimmers and shaping young lives with discipline, passion, and a love for the water.
Oak Flats Swimming Pool became a second home for Mrs Mac and her late husband Ted and she regards all her students as part of her family.
Phil Driscoll with a life-size photo of himself in the clubrooms holding the Freeway Series Trophy after the Illawarra Hawks beat the Kings in the Christmas Day 2024 game. Photo: Illawarra Hawks.
“Uncle” Phil Driscoll is the type of clubman that every sporting club needs. He’s the guy who helps the club run smoothly and knows everything that’s happening behind the scenes as well as on game day.
Phil has served the Illawarra Hawks since 1979 as well as the St George Illawarra Dragons since 1999 and the Illawarra Steelers before as a sports trainer. On Australia Day his quiet commitment was rewarded with an Order of Australia Medal. Phil says he’s “blessed”, but I reckon it’s the players and teams around him who are blessed.
Val Fell knows a thing or two about aged care and dementia support so when she speaks, people sit up and listen.
For the 96-year-old, it was seeing her older sisters nurse their husbands through Alzheimer’s, before her own late husband’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2006 that was a catalyst in her becoming a leading voice in dementia awareness.
There’s no slowing her down either. Val’s now on a mission to make sure people understand the new Aged Care Act, which takes effect on 1 July. “My duty now is to go out and talk to people about it.”
Check out the parents waiting at school pickup time and there’s a fair bet the majority of them will be mums.
That’s not the case though at Mt St Thomas Public School, where dads are taking over. A fathering program run at the school has changed the face of not only who’s at the school gate, but introduced exciting events such as school campouts and provided invaluable support for all dads.
The best part is, the kids love seeing more of their dads at school.
Just this week, we published a story about a truly humble Kiama guy who had just completed a walk around Australia – on his own. Alex Glover’s Strides Against Suicide walk set out from the Kiama Blowhole in January 2024. Some 480 days and 17,000 km later, he quietly slipped back into town.
Alex had a simple aim: to help others who may have lived his story and struggled with their mental health, while also encouraging slowness and simplicity in people’s lives.
He faced more than his fair share of challenges, but also discovered the kindness of strangers. “There’s a lot more kindness in the world than we think – when we’re not rushing around all the time.”
