Ellen drawn to life in Euroa

During National Volunteer Week (9-15 May 2016) OCAV paid tribute to Ellen Doyle-Roberts, a resident at the Currie Park village in Euroa, for her contribution to the village and the wider community.

“I need a secretary” Ellen Doyle-Roberts says jokingly as she discusses community life at Currie Park as well as in the wider Euroa community. At the very least she needs more hours in the day!

One of the youngest at the Currie Park estate, Ellen, 67, isn’t complaining about all the activities, in fact she thrives on the strong sense of community in her town. She moved to Euroa 10 years ago and then into one of the 20 independent living cottages at Currie Park two years later.

One morning each week Ellen and one of her friends from Currie Park, work in the Already Read Bookshop, an initiative of the Friends of the Library, which sells books to raise money for the local library. “People stop in Euroa, have a coffee and wander into the book shop to see what we have. So many travellers comment on how well our book shop is set up and drop off books on their way to wherever and also say what a warm and friendly feel this town has,” she said. Ellen feels lucky to have come to Euroa a decade ago.

“It’s a peaceful and pretty place. At Currie Park the gardens are lovely and we look out at the Strathbogie Ranges,” she said.

The Currie Park village is intimate with 20 cottages and 8 serviced apartments.  Ellen takes every opportunity to get involved – in fact she creates many of the opportunities. She is secretary of the residents’ committee and provides residents with a flier of regular events. These include an armchair exercise class, walking group, mahjong, cards, craft classes and a monthly movie afternoon. Special birthday afternoon teas are arranged for residents to get together.

Her own personal interest include her family, making birthday cards for friends, photography, writing her own life story and researching her family history – a passion that she has enjoyed on and off for the past 20 years.

Outside of Currie Park she is a Probus member and involved with the St John’s Catholic Parish and the St Vincent de Paul branch. She is Publicity Officer for the three groups. The volunteers who run the bookshop also organise literary lunches or dinners and other book activities. It’s the books that vie with other community events for Ellen’s attention.

“I love books, I love reading and I always have. Reading is like having a companion. Each morning when Currie Park staff call past to see if I am okay, which they do to all the residents here at Currie Park, I am usually still in bed with my book and having a cuppa. That’s become an important morning routine for me. And after a bit of a read, I am ready to take on the day.”

Ellen has two sons living in Western Australia and Kyneton, and now five grandchildren she can only see occasionally due to the distance. She enjoys living within train distance to Melbourne, but finds most of what she needs close to home.