WHEN Peg Thompson was named Werribee's first ever citizen of the year in 1976, her daughter Betty Parker was bursting with pride.
Mrs Parker still has a bronze framed copy of the Banner article announcing the award on her lounge room wall.
Little did she realise the same prestigious honour would be bestowed on her 34 years later.
A humble Mrs Parker was presented with this year's
Wyndham Citizen of the Year award at the city's Australia Day celebrations.
"It came as a real shock – but I'm genuinely thrilled," she said.
"There are so many people out there who do as much if not more for this community, but they don't get the recognition.
"My reason for doing what I do is because I enjoy it, not for any awards."
Among her many credits, Mrs Parker has delivered Meals on Wheels around the municipality for almost three decades, and freely given her time to
assist with the Weerama Festival, Fashion Awards Australia and Victorian Dancesport championships.
A committee member with the Werribee Craft Festival since 1993 and its chairwoman for eight years, she has also distributed emergency relief for
Werribee Support and Housing to the area's most needy, and spent countless hours assisting in school canteens.
She is still a regular feature helping out at the Crossroads Uniting Church op shop, Wyndham Lodge aged-care home and has managed the weekly members' night at the Werribee Bowling Club for the past 16 years.
Last October, Mrs Parker's years of tireless dedication were recognised when she was named as a monthly recipient of Wyndham Council's Chirnside Award, established to pay tribute to the community's quiet achievers.
The fourth-generation Werribee resident hails from a long line of volunteers, including her mother who knocked on doors for the Red Cross, and raised money for a wide range of programs and initiatives.
A loving wife to Ian, a mother and grandmother of four, the energetic, visionary and enthusiastic 68yearold is also renowned for her strong leadership qualities.
Her early years were spent in a house in Market Road, with her first job working at clothing store Deneys.
But she had her sights on a career in hairdressing, and after realising her dream eventually opened her own business, Lorrae's Beauty Salon in Watton Street.
For her, the awards and the countless hours she's contributed to Wyndham would not have been possible without the support of her husband, a former Apex Club district governor and Werribee Soccer Club president.
"We've been very supportive of one another over the years," she said. "In the old days, people just gave of themselves to help their community – it was just second nature and you didn't think about it.
"Volunteering is a reward in itself, the sense of satisfaction, enjoying what you're doing, helping other people and giving something back - it's part of my life."
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