Double honour for Bibbys
Drouin couple Vin and Judy Bibby, yesterday awarded Medals of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday honours list, have reached across many community groups in the district over more than 50 years.
Their voluntary work, mostly independent of each other, has spread through a number of community, sporting, school, church and civic organisations.
Mr and Mrs Bibby said they believed their volunteer ethos was “in their genes”; their parents were also very community minded.
Both grew up on farms, Mrs Bibby at Hallora and Mr Bibby at Topiram, but have lived at Drouin since marrying 54 years ago and still live in the house they moved into 45 years ago.
Mr Bibby ran an electrical contracting business and Mrs Bibby worked as a primary and kindergarten teacher and laboratory technician at a secondary school alongside raising four children and becoming heavily involved in the local community.
They agree their love for Drouin and the people and the enjoyment that comes from volunteering are the main reasons why they have been active for so long.
“Along the way we have made friendships for life,” Mrs Bibby said.
The citations with the OAM awards both state “for service to the community of Drouin”.
Mr Bibby attributes his first involvement with voluntary work, with the Drouin Apex club, as a big part in widening his roles in the community over the years.
His period as an Apexian, from 1965-1981, included serving as district and zone president.
Mr Bibby was a Buln Buln shire councillor from 1981-1983 including one term as shire president and it was in the latter stage of his time on the council that he became the founder of what has become Drouin’s largest community event, the annual Ficifolia Festival.
He is quick to state that it wasn’t his idea but came from the shire’s then superintendent of parks and gardens who sought a meeting with him and shire secretary Keith Pretty to urge that something be done to promote and celebrate Drouin’s parks and gardens.
Eighteen of Mr Bibby’s 25 years on the Ficifolia committee were as president.
He was awarded Baw Baw shire’s Citizen of the Year in 1981 and is a life member of the Hallora football club where five of his 26 years as a member were as president.
Mr Bibby has been a member of the Drouin Combined Churches committee since 1991, has held a range of positions at St Ita’s Catholic Church, been a president of the Drouin primary school council, Drouin football club committee member and served as a member of Ellinbank and District Football League tribunal for more than 20 years.
Mrs Bibby has played a major role at Lyrebird Village for the Aged at Drouin serving on the committee for 13 years of which four years were as president.
She is also currently a member of the Drouin cemetery trust, a former member of the Drouin recreation reserve committee of management and a founding member and inaugural chair of the Committee for Drouin.
Sport has been a major part of Mrs Bibby’s life and volunteer work.
That earned her life membership of the Parkside softball club at Drouin, West Gippsland softball association and the Drouin and District Netball Association.
She was a player, coach and administrators at all three groups and held similar roles at the Hallora-Strzelecki netball club and served four years as president of the women’s section of the Drouin golf and country club.
Since Mr Bibby retired from his business the couple travelled for periods each year for four years to the Kimberley region in West Australia to volunteer at an Aboriginal community and even now Mr Bibby, with some help from his wife, is driving around Drouin up to three afternoons a week delivering St Vincent de Paul food parcels to needy families.