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Interview by Jill Jollow...
Are you originally from Narrabri?
Yes, I was born here. My father
came from Kalgoorlie Boulder
City in Western Australia with his
family. They’d settled in Melbourne
for a while, then came up to
relatives at Bullawa Creek. Dad
went to school there. That’s where
he met my mum. His dad bought
a farm at Yarrie Lake.
Where did you go to school?
I went to school in Narrabri when
I was eleven. Before that, we had
correspondence school at home.
Mum taught us as she used to be a
teacher. We also had a subsidised
teacher who used to travel out.
Is your family still here?
I have two of my children, Colin
and Patricia, living in Narrabri and
Phillip is in Queensland. I met my
husband, Warwick, in Narrabri at
the Church of England fellowship
when I was nineteen. We were
married when I was twenty-one.
He came from Yolla in Tasmania
(near Burnie). He used to say
that Tasmania was the best state,
but Narrabri was the best town!
Warwick and both my parents have
since passed away.
You have been a member of the
Narrabri Lioness Club since it
began. As part of fundraising for
the service group, I know you have
a special fondness for catering for
the Pistol Club Shoots. How did
that come about?
I’ve been a member of the Lions’
Foundation for 42 years. The
Lioness Club was founded 30 years
ago because of insurance reasons,
so all the women members moved
over to that. When it first began,
the Pistol Club asked us to cater
for an evening meal and we’ve
been catering for them ever since!
I really enjoy the company of the
shooters- some of them have been
coming for years! They are very
pleasant and even organise their
own honesty system for the food
and drinks.
What other service clubs to you
belong to?
I am a life member of Save Sight
and was awarded the James
Richardson Honour Award in
2000, which I am very proud of. I
think it really belongs to the Lion-
ess Club as they do such a great
job. I volunteer for the Hospital
Auxiliary and have been there 15
years. I do Meals on Wheels.
(Dawn is currently making and
icing four Christmas cakes for
them in her “spare time!”).
I am president of Narrabri Cake
Decorating; I’ve been Secretary
of the Narrabri Show Society for
the last twenty-five years and am a
member of the Red Cross.
I’ve been involved with the
Narrabri Ladies Bowling Club for
the last fifty-nine years. I’ve had
two three-year terms as President
and been on the Management
Committee for a number of years.
I’ve also been President of the
Namoi District Ladies Bowls. I’m a
Life Member of the Ladies Bowling
Club.
Do you have time for any other
hobbies?
I go line dancing on a Monday
night.
After spending your week helping
others, how do you relax?
I knit, crochet, read and use my
iPad. I love my iPad!
A Local Legend
Dawn Armstrong
What do you do when you’re eighty-five? Withdraw gracefully to a
retirement home? Sit in front of the television all day?
Meet Dawn Armstrong… eighty-five years young!
photo: John Burgess
Narrabri Pest CoNtrol
If you want your next outdoor function
or just your outdoor areas to be free of
mosquitoes and other flying pests...
who you gonna call?
Domestic, Commercial & Industrial
Pest & Weed Control & Fumigations
Phone Leon today
0429 112 676
mozzie busters
12 | iNarrabri Magazine | December 2016