Coonamble‘s Lee O’Connor has been named on the 2024 Hidden Treasures Honour Roll during National Volunteers Week recently for her services to the town.

Seventy-four women throughout regional, rural and remote New South Wales were celebrated for their volunteering efforts strengthening local communities.

In the nomination for the award it was abundantly clear why Mrs O'Connor - proprietor and editor of The Coonamble Times and The Western Plains App - was honoured for her generosity to her community.

“Lee has been an active volunteer in the Coonamble area for around 30 years. Her dedication to her community goes well beyond that of a volunteer," her nominator said.

“She has a talent for identifying needs within the community and finding ways to recruit and mobilise the resources necessary to meet that need.

“Lee was among the instigators of the Coonamble Rain Dance, a fund raiser and town morale booster that raised over $100,000 in the drought.

“A founding member of the Coonamble Community Radio station [1998] and of the local Landcare group, in 2018 Lee helped set up the Drought Busters Alliance bringing together local charities to distribute resources by utilising 'Drought Dollars' to ensure donations were spent in local businesses."

According to her nomination, Lee has also been behind earlier initiatives such as ‘Friends of the Flicks’ to support the restoration of the local theatre, the Buy Local campaign and the Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.

“In 2017, Lee took ownership of the local newspaper, The Coonamble Times," they said.

"This allowed her to extend her reach and use her new business as a catalyst for change within the community, with a recent example of her articles about the visiting Breast Screen bus and a local breast cancer patient, which resulted in the bus rostering extra staff and staying an extra week.

“Most recently, Lee helped establish the Safer Coonamble Group to address issues with crime in the community."

But according to Mrs O’Connor she is lucky to be part of a community brimming with dedicated volunteers.

An excerpt from the Coonamble Times article about Allison Davis [left] that saw numbers jump during the visit by the BreastScreen Van.

“It's a lovely compliment to be acknowledged alongside so many big contributors but it's a bit uncomfortable to be singled out when volunteering in regional areas, and small communities in particular, is such a team sport,” said Mrs O’Connor.

“I know there are people who can get things done on their own but mostly good things happen in small towns because people work together.

“I get a real kick out of working alongside people from different sectors who see a gap and want to do something about it.

"One small idea can turn out to have a massive impact or become something that keeps delivering for generations.

Members of Coonamble's Drought Busters Alliance in September 2018. Lee O'Connor behind the camera. IMAGE: Coonamble Times

“It's great fun when all sorts of different people come together and work til they get a result.

"Really, I believe that's the only reason many of our towns are still here, and why they're great places to live.

“I see it week in week out right around our region. A lot of it is these tiny committees who make big things happen.

"I'm lucky that I've been part of a few of those groups. There should be more awards for groups and committees!" said Mrs O’Connor.

Hidden Treasures is a NSW Government Initiative co-ordinated by the NSW Rural Women’s Network. (SOURCE: Instagram)

In the last 15 years since its launch, more than 1,300 regional women have been recognised for their volunteering work.

If you would like to nominate someone for the next Hidden Treasures Honour Roll click here.