Thea wins Rotary District 9650 Inspirational Women’s Award 2015

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     Thea Batterham  was recently nominated by the Rotary Club of Inverell for the NSW and ACT Inspirational Women’s Award for 2015. At a gala lunch at Doltone House, Pyrmont, Sydney on Sunday 8th March attended by over 500 people, Thea was named the awardee for Rotary District 9650 and presented with a trophy by Past District Governor, District 9675, Garry Browne.

      Thea was born in Indonesia, moved to Singapore, Malaysia, Sydney and then in 1981 to Inverell.  During this time Thea and her husband Ross took over the care of two boys, who along with his 3 daughters, became part of the Batterham family and remain so today.

 

     Following her husband’s death in 2005, Thea has provided free grief counselling for over 60 people, some for long periods of time.   She also works at the Community Gardens and has consistently raised funds for various charitable organizations or individual people in need.   On a recent visit to Indonesia she distributed money she had raised, amongst elderly beggars whose children are unable to support them. (There is no pension system in Indonesia).

     In 1999 Thea arranged to send comfort parcels including her biscuits, to Australian troops in East Timor and then to Afghanistan with the help of some of her friends from St. Augustine’s Anglican Church. She was Secretary of the local Camp Quality branch for many years, and very involved with Neighbourhood Watch for 10 years. Neighbourhood Watch distributed 4,000 newsletters twice yearly to local homes, with information and advice from the local Police regarding safety issues in Inverell. There was always one of Thea’s recipes on the back page.

     Thea supported the New England Volunteer Air Transport, which took people from small towns to medical treatment and appointments in larger centres. She has provided accommodation to various pilots, who themselves were volunteers.  During this time she published 1,000 cookbooks to raise money for NEVAT, calling it “My Thankyou Australia Cookbook”.  This was a very successful venture and she still has requests for copies.

     Thea is also an active member of the Red Cross, visits people in the McLean Retirement Village every Friday, supports a disabled lady who lives alone, transports people who do not have a car, and takes meals to people who are unwell or have had a death in the family.

     This inspirational lady Thea Batterham, believes that her life is a gift from God, but what she does with her life is her gift back to God.