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USC award for horticulture guru
To say that Valerie Zwart is a keen gardener who likes helping the community is an understatement as the 81-year-old Mapleton resident prepares to accept another prestigious accolade.
Mrs Zwart, who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia last year, will become an Honorary Senior Fellow of the University of the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday 20 April.
Yet, despite the OAM, Mrs Zwart said she was surprised by the USC award for service to the Mapleton community and horticultural industry.
“It’s absolutely extraordinary,” she said. “I’m just an ordinary person who enjoys doing what I do.”
Mrs Zwart and her husband Gerry are well-known for encouraging people’s appreciation of the environmental and aesthetic values of plants. They have written a regular gardening column in local newspapers for two decades.
She has been a guiding light for major community projects in the hinterland since they moved to Mapleton from South Australia in 1989.
“When Mapleton Library burned down in 1992 and we stood watching the embers, we learned the council could no longer support it. To ensure the library continued, we decided to go it alone and I became the fundraising chief,” said Mrs Zwart, who remains the library’s publicity officer.
“Within nine months we had raised $15,000, including a $3,000 council donation, and the library opened in new premises. It was all about teamwork. Almost everyone in Mapleton helped, particularly tradesmen who volunteered.
“About a year later, after I was elected treasurer of the Mapleton Community Hall when we were overseas, we raised $55,000 to upgrade that facility and again I led the fundraising team.”
Mrs Zwart said she felt lucky to have such a supportive husband. “I’m an ideas person and I get very enthusiastic but I’ve always had others backing me,” she said.
She has been involved in groups ranging from the Blackall Range Care Group to the Montville Visitor Information Centre, judges council garden competitions and advises the annual Queensland Home Garden Expo.
USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill, who will present four honorary senior fellowships at the University’s 2011 Graduation ceremony, said Mrs Zwart had made significant contributions to the region.
– Julie Gatehouse