Lyn Hobley, 73, and Mary Beaumont, 79, of Cobram & District Specialist School were recognised with the Outstanding Volunteer Award at the Principals’ Association of Specialist Schools on Friday, November 22, for their work over the past two years teaching students at the school how to sew.
For four hours every Monday morning, Mary and Lyn lead sewing workshops with a group of senior students at the Cobram school.
The group creates pouches for the local Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter, based in Koonoomoo.
Cobram & District Specialist School assistant principal Lisa Oliver said as well as learning the skills of sewing under the guidance of Mary and Lyn, the students also had made items for themselves.
“They’ve done such a wonderful job with our students with teaching them to sew,” she said.
She highlighted that the students had built up a strong relationship with the two volunteers.
“It’s another face and another person [the students] can talk to,” she said.
“It’s been lovely to see those relationships blossom.”
Mary and Lyn agreed the award came as a surprise.
The pair met last year, when they found themselves — then perfect strangers to each other — both signing up to the same volunteering program at the school.
Since then, the women have became fast friends.
“I’m so thrilled to have met Lyn. She’s absolutely wonderful to work with and she’s a new friend, so I’m very blessed,” Mary said.
Mary travels about 40km from her Tungamah farm to get to the school each Monday, but she said every bit of the journey was worth it.
Lyn lives closer by — in her words, a “hop, skip and a jump away” from the school — and worked in administration at Cobram Primary School for many years.
Although they both began their volunteering last year, Mary and Lyn agreed that spending time with the students and watching them learn was a key part of what made them love their time at the school.
“I can’t stress enough that Monday is my special day, and I just wouldn’t miss it,” Mary said.
It was a sentiment echoed by Lyn.
“It’s a happy place, and I think we both just love watching the children achieve,” she said.
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