Team leader receives OAM

Mary Mac's Place team leader Ms Patricia Slattery of Ettalong has been awarded the only Order of Australia Medal received on the Central Coast this year for her service to the community through social welfare and church organisations.

Ms Slattery said she was proud, thrilled, and stunned when she received the award from the country that she loves so much.

"It is so difficult to put into words something that is so heart felt and means so much to me.

"It is a blessing to live in a country where we are given so many opportunities to work and mix with so many wonderful people," she said.

Ms Slattery has been the Mary Macs Place team leader since 2003 and is also the Mary Macs Place representative on the Homeless Services Interagency project.

She is a member of the Bishop's Advisory Committee, Parish Bereavement Ministry, president of the Umina-Ettalong Sacred Heart Conference and a St Vincent de Paul Society volunteer since 2001.

She also teaches scripture and conducts seminars at schools on the Central Coast and was a teacher at St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School for 40 years.

"Pat's voluntary work to those in need has extended well beyond local boundaries," said friend Mr Graham Kinross.

"In both 2007 and 2009, at her own expense, Pat travelled overseas to undertake voluntary work in various countries including the Dominican Republic, Brazil and South Africa, where she volunteered for work in long-day care, cooking, cleaning, welfare support and assistance, spiritual support, teaching English, Spanish and Maths to children, assisting in AIDS clinics and AIDS orphanages, and providing a broad range of help and assistance in rural villages," he said.

"Pat exemplifies, in the finest manner, what can be achieved in both the local community and in overseas countries through simple hard work, a focus on helping those in need, and a positive, altruistic attitude.

"She is an inspirational role model for all Australians and a lady of intrinsic decency.

"Her deeply-held personal philosophy of helping the disadvantaged and marginalised, her compassion, non-judgemental attitude, her outstanding ability to communicate and connect with people from all walks of life, her selfless, humble approach to life, and most certainly her ongoing advocacy and work for both in Australia and overseas sets her apart as an outstanding Australian and unquestionably, a worthy recipient of the Order of Australia Medal," said Mr Kinross.

Email, 26 Jan 2011 Graham Kinross, Woy Woy Website, 2 Feb 2011 Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia Email, 1 Feb 2011 Patricia Slattery, Ettalong