Doreen Greenham.
Enjoy and make the most of yourself and your life, and don’t forget to help anyone you can!
Born in Newcastle in 1936, growing up in a strict Catholic family of 10 children, where boys were waited on and the girls did the waiting. Doreen was the ninth child.
At the end of Year 6 Doreen was fortunate to win a State Bursary which paid for all of her secondary education as well as her music lessons, piano and singing. After completing High School with exceptional results, she was accepted into Teachers College. Doreen’s first post as a teacher was to Balranald in 1955. After a very long journey, Doreen recalls her travel to finally get to Balranald.
“My adventure of train(s), taxi and mail car, started on the Newcastle Railway which took me from Newcastle to Sydney, then I joined the Junee Express and changed trains to Narrandera. A diesel motor 2-carriage train got me to Hay. I caught a taxi from the station to the Paragon Café, which was the pickup point for the Balranald Mail car, then we headed via Maude, Oxley and Homebush, having opened and closed no less than 23 gates, enduring unbearable heat, for the 8 of us squeezed into a Ford Custom-line, finally arriving in Balranald!”
While at Balranald Central School Doreen loved the ‘invites’ to all the children’s parties and the friendship with families. She also met two male teachers who played music and they asked her to join a band. One of which called Larry, caught her eye. He was a drummer and talented violinist, and they married in 1956 and had eight delightful children. Doreen says, “our lives were full and varied but always with one outstanding occurrence, their passion for music and they taught all their children to play an instrument or two and of course to sing”. Doreen maintains a full appetite for music today and says it is engrained in her blood, still singing and playing in the family band ‘Overdraft’. Given her passion of song, Doreen has performed the role of conductor and enjoys membership of Balranald Sing Australia.
Over the years Doreen commenced ladies’ basketball, fund raising to establish the Balranald Baby Health Centre, was a foundation member of Meals on Wheels, Home Help and Hospital Auxiliary committee and Board. Not surprisingly, Doreen has been well recognised and received many deserved awards for her Education and Health service contribution. Doreen was the first female Shire Councillor, a Director of the Balranald ex-Servicemen’s Memorial Club, an Apostolic Blessing in 1997 from Pope John Paul 11, for her services to St Dympna’s Catholic Church, receiving a Medal of The Order of Australia for community service and awarded Citizen of the Year from Balranald Council to mention only a few. Yes, there are many more!
Doreen has worked on most Balranald community committees, giving freely of her musical talents to fund raise for the benefit of local organisation, sporting clubs, including the service clubs. Youth that have benefitted from these events went on the represent Balranald as a singer at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and school sporting teams travelled to state representative games.
Volunteering her time towards any worthy matters relating to the betterment of the community, Doreen assisted with Deb Balls, Masonic or Lions Club functions, Camp Quality, Anzac Day, Senior Citizens, Christmas Carols and provided encouragement for many children in their career choices over many years. Doreen has raised a large family of upstanding citizens, in the small Balranald community of some 2,340 persons located on the Murrumbidgee River.
Doreen has made a ‘real difference’ to the Balranald community and now in retirement and her gift to herself was a Roland Digital Piano where she spends at least a couple of hours each day tinkering the ivories.
Sitting and reflecting in her early years, walking home from school where invites to have a ‘cup of tea’ was often heard and lifelong friends made.
Doreen embraced this community, and the community embraced her, feeling appreciated of the contribution she has made to the growth and development of Balranald over the past 60+ years! She has no plans to leave Balranald. A quote Doreen often is heard to say, “Enjoy and make the most of yourself and your life, and don’t forget to help anyone you can!”
Sadly Doreen passed in 2023.