A Barwon Heads husband and wife team have swept up during the Australia Day Honours for service to their community.
Christine and John (Tony) Wheal were honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on Sunday, January 26.
Mrs Wheal works at the All Saints Opportunity Shop in Barwon Heads and is a welfare support officer at the Ocean Grove Barwon Heads Sub-branch Returned and Services League (RSL).
She said she and her husband were “proud but very humbled” by the OAMs.
“Neither of us blow our own trumpets, and we find this overwhelming because we’re very humbled but appreciative of the people who put us up for it,” she said.
“I work at the op shop, and I’ve been doing that for about 15-16 years. I love it. I do that because they distribute the money to really good causes. I do it for the friendships, and I love people.
“I turn 80 next year, but I can’t see myself giving up. I can’t sit still, and I like people. When I retired, I started volunteering straight away and I’m still using my nursing skills, which I like doing.”
Mr Wheal served 366 days in Vietnam and is an Ocean Grove Barwon Heads Sub-branch RSL member.
“I was in the Air Force, and I was a helicopter pilot. Our job was supporting the Australian Army out in the field,” he said.
“Probably the best thing I’ve done in my view is that I was a sole organiser of Anzac Day in Barwon Heads for many years, and I kept that going for a long time.”
By Jena Carr
