General News
4 February, 2026
Better than average: Volunteers among the best in nation
THE VALUE of volunteering was the theme of the day at Bridgewater’s Australia Day ceremony.
Guest speaker Wendy Gladman, Loddon Shire’s director of community wellbeing, said the most recent census showed that 34 per cent of the shire’s residents had volunteered in the previous 12 months.
That was twice the national rate, she told the gathering.
“Small communities rely on volunteering,” Mrs Gladman said. “You see it with fires, with sporting activities and cultural activities.”
Inglewood Ward Citizen of the Year, Deb Abbott, was a classic case of the importance of volunteering.
Mrs Gladman described the recipient of the award as “entirely selfless”.
She was a firefighter with the Bridgewater brigade, helped maintain the local school, and was always helping older people in the community.
“It’s good to be recognised,” said Ms Abbott, who was too reserved to make a speech but spoke later to the Loddon Herald.
“I have been volunteering since I moved here from Brisbane in 1999,” she said.
“We used to come here on our holidays, and when the busyness and the traffic in Brisbane became too much, I moved.”
She said volunteering came naturally.
As a child in Brisbane Ms Abbott used to “help the oldies mow their grass and put out their bins” – something she still does for elderly neighbours.
Ms Abbott was presented with her award by Inglewood Ward councillor Miki Wilson.
The Bridgewater ceremony also celebrated the town’s Melbourne Cup tour festivities last year being named as one of three winners of the Community Event of the Year.
The cup itself came to town and was the centre point for several days of activities organised by BOLD – the Bridgewater on Loddon Development Group.
BOLD committee members were on hand to accept the award – Jill Hobbs, Toni Shea, Graham Morse, Kathy Bowen and Rob Bray.
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