For the past 40 years, Maureen Miller has dedicated several hours a week to volunteering and helping others, particularly frail-aged people.

Mrs Miller said she was “pleased and dumbfounded” when volunteers from the Orange Australia Day Committee called to notify her of the nomination.

Her husband John has also been nominated separately for the award.

“I just wanted to do something for the community and that was one of the things,” Mrs Miller said.

Helping the aged is a primary interest, mainly at Wontama.

“We run a canteen at Wontama and I do that and I do Meals on Wheels and the canteen at the hospital, I’ve got plenty to do,” she said.

“We run an over 50s friendship group at our church, the Church of Christ [each fortnight].”

Mrs Miller has volunteered with Meals on Wheels for 40 years, helped at the Orange hospital canteen for about 25 years, makes daily morning phone calls to an elderly, housebound lady, operates the Wontama residents’ shop and drives her elderly brother to and from medical appointments.

She also spends a week each year helping people at Camp David in Victoria, which is held for people with a disability.

She currently has two daughters in Orange, a son in Melbourne, 11 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren with two more on the way.

Helen Corby: Australia Day service recongised

Barbara Bloomfield

Granton Smith 

Kathy Selwood

John Miller