By Heather Fleming
MANY people from the Willaura community and its wider district know how fortunate they are to have Jo Byron live and work amongst them.
In a small community where volunteers can be thin on the ground, Jo has done a power of work to ensure community life is strengthened. Her organisational skills and dedication seem boundless, and her unpaid efforts have encompassed a wide range of activities.
For many years the community has enjoyed the numerous events and fundraisers she has been actively involved in creating, and her volunteer efforts within various sporting and educational organisations have helped make them operate more smoothly.
Jo is extremely modest about her considerable achievements, and not one to seek the limelight or look for any recognition. Instead she works steadily to ensure that everyone is on board, and that whatever needs doing is done efficiently.
Jo’s attention to detail and capacity to sort tasks, roles, numbers and activities is remarkable. Her “job lists” are legendary and she has ensured that everything from publicity to co-ordinating the accommodation for visiting artists has been covered.
Jo told The Advocate she can blame her much loved late father for passing on to her his own attention to detail.
He too was a ‘lists’ man and catalogued everything from his home brewed beer to the kilometres travelled and fuel consumption on their family road trips.
Jo has lived in the district most of her life.
After completing VCE studies in Ararat she spent fifteen years working for Carthew and Travaglini, now know as AME Systems.
She started in the office and eventually rose to the position of supply manager, where she remained till leaving to begin her family.
Even before she married her husband Andrew and moved to the family farm, Jo was volunteering her time and skills.
She acted as secretary for the Salvation Army Committee in Ararat, and together with her much respected employer Peter Carthew, organised the Red Shield Appeal.
She was secretary/treasurer of the social club at her work, and also joined the CFA and participated in state demonstrations,
After moving to the Willaura district, Jo stepped up to assist the local sporting teams her sons played for and made herself very useful.
She was a Moyston-Willaura Football Netball Club committee member and also took on the role of joint game-day canteen supervisor for a number of years.
She became treasurer-secretary of the Tatyoon Cricket Club, where she even learnt the somewhat complicated art of scoring.
Another role she took on was that of secretary-treasurer for the Ararat & District Southern Bombers Junior Football Club.
In Willaura Jo was secretary of the playgroup, president of the kindergarten parents committee and sat on the primary school parents’ council.
As grants coordinator at the kindergarten she managed to gain significant funding which gave the facility a major upgrade and brought it up to contemporary standards.
Two of Jo’s major volunteer roles at Willaura remain her long time presidency of the Willaura branch of the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal committee, and her position as the secretary-treasurer of the Willaura & District Community Development Group.
For many years Willaura has punched above its weight in its fundraising efforts for the Royal Children’s Hospital. Thousands of dollars have been raised by a small group of well organised volunteers, and the annual Fish N’ Chip luncheon has been extremely popular.
The appeal is close to Jo’s heart after seeing the excellent care provided to her son when he was a baby. She said she was ‘in awe’ of the work done by the nurses and doctors and became passionate about supporting them.
She has been at the forefront of the Willaura branch of the appeal since 2004, and with the support of the committee has seen it evolve from a small local event into a major fundraiser attracting upwards of three hundred people at its peak.
Even when COVID-19 restrictions impacted so heavily on the luncheon, Jo still found a way to lead the committee, and helped the hospital with an online/Facebook campaign which proved effective in raising significant funds.
Jo’s work with the Willaura Development Group has also been extensive. She has ensured that the books have been meticulously kept, and at all times the group and the general public know exactly what funds are where, and what happened at every meeting.
She has been instrumental in gaining funds, securing artists and organising the highly successful Harvest Cutouts, along with “Willaura’s Big Night Outs” series of events.
Who can forget how much everyone laughed at the “Faulty Towers” dinner, or how the dance floor rocked the night we all went “Back to the 60’s and 70’s”.
Jo was there when “Ciao” danced its way across the stage, and when “The Carpenters Tribute” came to town.
This year’s “Blues Brothers” extravaganza was a hit with everyone, and never has the Willaura hall seen so many nuns and black sunglasses. Jo event-managed everything from artists fees to publicity and ticket sales, and made it possible for the committee she led to make a great night of it.
Jo’s role as a customer service officer at Willaura and Lake Bolac Community Bank since 2007 has also earned her the respect of all she deals with. In addition to her ‘over the counter’ work, she produces the entertaining and informative newsletter which showcases the role the bank plays in the district.
Being the creative and organised person she is, Jo also co-ordinates the various special events the bank puts on for the community.
These nights bring well known and inspiring speakers to the district, and provide attendees the opportunity to hear first hand from a remarkable range of people they might never ordinarily come across. Jo goes above and beyond the usual expectations of a customer service officer and as with the newsletter, puts an enormous amount of her own time into organising them.
The ‘Diamonds in the Dust’ women’s’ dinner held in October 2021 with keynote speaker paralympian Don Elgin was very popular. Previous bank events have seen her line up other well known and entertaining speakers such as Steve Monaghetti and Marius Cumming.
‘A Night With the Blokes’ was held in March this year and featured guest speaker Glenn Cooper, Chairman of Coopers Brewery in Adelaide. It was a resounding success and enjoyed by the over one hundred men who attended. Again, it was Jo who secured Glenn’s’ services and coordinated the array of helpers required to ensure the night ran smoothly.
It’s not always ‘big’ things Jo does.
During the COVID restrictions she took it upon herself to raise funds for the national event, “Walk4BrainCancer”.
Around the country friends and families walked in memory of loved ones lost to this insidious disease, so Jo galvanised a small local group to ‘Walk For Joy’, in honour of her mother Joy Cox who succumbed to the cancer several years ago. Over $1500 was raised, which far exceeded Jo’s modest aim of $500.
When asked about her volunteering efforts Jo said she was simply pleased to be part of the community and to benefit from the sensed of belonging it afforded her.
“I enjoy being part of a team and being able to collaborate with other volunteers to make things run smoothly. I especially love seeing people so excited and happy at community events, and it makes me happy if I’ve been able to contribute to this.”
Jo has demonstrated that it’s entirely possible to raise a family, be part of a successful farming business, remain a committed and valuable employee, maintain a wide range of friendships, and help her community. That community is indeed fortunate to have her.