As humbled and honoured as Cathy Roth is to see her face on the wall of a central Geelong car park, she admits it takes some getting used to.
âI nearly ran up the gutter when I first saw it!â she laughed.
Her larger-than-life portrait adorning Busport Car Park is part of the Streetface project, this year putting the spotlight on older locals who have experienced major transitions in life.
For Cathy that transition revolves around her husband, former surgeon John Roth, who was diagnosed with Alzheimerâs disease in 2015.
The couple, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year, met when Cathy worked as a radiographer.
The diagnosis left Cathy with an overwhelming sense of grief, with the prospect of loosing their plans and, more importantly, who John was.
âYou picture the freedom of making plans and travelling in retirement,â said Cathy, who helped look after Johnâs parents when they had Alzheimerâs too.
âYou hope that you share the journey together. All of a sudden, that wasnât going to be quite the option. That relationship would ultimately change to me being Johnâs carer.â
But today John still plays golf and regularly indulges his passion for English history, and Cathy is his âwatcher-outererâ rather than his carer.
âHeâs out playing golf as we speak,â she said.
âMost people at his stage need care or have passed on.â
The couple continues to catch up with friends, who are considerate of Johnâs poor memory and occasional confusion.
âIf John repeats himself thatâs not the end of the world is it?â Cathy said.
âAnd as I point out to him, everyone gets confused at some stage.â
To support her husband, Cathy founded PALZ, a network for professionals with Alzheimerâs and similar diseases.
âHe was looking for more than what was available for him,â she explained.
âThe need is there and someone had to do it.â
Cathy would ânever claimâ the group had definitely slowed her husbandâs deterioration, but said it might have helped.
âThey have high-level speakers to stimulate them mentally and intellectually, and it allows them to socialise again with a peer group thatâs familiar for them,â she said.
âIt doesnât stop the disease â you canât â but you can go flat chat to make it as difficult as possible to progress.â
The long-time Rotarian received an Order of Australia Medal in 2013 for her work volunteering, and serving on the boards of various community and government organisations.
But her latest ventures, such as graduating last year with a master of leadership at Deakin University, were what drew the attention of this yearâs Streetface selectors, according to Cathy.
âI love the concept of encouraging older people to embrace new opportunities,â she said.
âAnything is possible at any age, if you have good mental and physical health.â
Streetface has grown into a partnership between various local councils, along with health and community organisations.
This yearâs program features the stories and portraits of several local residents at locations including City Hall, Geelong West Town Hall, Leisurelink, Bellarine Community Health, Portarlington, Civic Centre car park and Grovedale Neighbourhood House.
âIâm incredibly honoured and humbled to be selected, because there are so many extraordinary people out there who are contributing so much to the local community,â Cathy said.