Australia Day is a day to reflect on our past, accept the truth of our history, respect that we all have a contribution to make to the Story of Australia and celebrate being part of a truly diverse and multicultural nation.
This year the Australia Day Committee has bestowed the honour of Local Australia Day Ambassador to Lorraine Gawne of Grong Grong. Lorraine attended Methodist Ladies College Melbourne moving to Grong Grong as a young 18-year-old bride to take up a life of farming and has been a member of the Grong Grong community since. She raised two boys and one girl whilst being very involved in the Grong Grong Community through organisations such as Grong Grong Country Women’s Association, as an organist in the Uniting Church and other local charitable groups. She is well known for being involved in anything in the community.
From 1980 to 2005 Lorraine owned Renee Frock Salon in Narrandera, assisting many mothers of the Bride and Groom with her array of fashionable offerings. She became a celebrant in 1977 and has continued serving her community in that capacity to the present time, presiding over many weddings and funerals.
We are also pleased to announce that Lindy Hou OAM will be our Australia Day Ambassador and will join the residents of Narrandera Shire to reflect, respect and celebrate this Australia Day.
As a small child Lindy dreamed of standing on the Olympic podium with a gold medal around her neck. In 2004 at the Athens Paralympic Games that dream became a reality when she won a gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
“Winning those medals in Athens proved to me that anyone can, with hard work, dedication and a goal to achieve, fulfil their sweetest dreams.”
Lindy suffers from a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. She began losing her sight in the mid-1980s and is now, in 2023, almost totally blind. Twenty-five years ago, as her sight began failing, Lindy was forced to give up playing ball sports and decided that as an alternative, she would participate in the sport of triathlon, which she did for many years. During the early 1990s, despite her failing eyesight, Lindy represented Australia twice in the World Triathlon Championships as an able-bodied athlete for her age group.
During that time Lindy was also very involved in coaching, working with a variety of sports including Softball, Triathlon, Athletics, Cycling and Strength & Conditioning.
For many people, losing their sight often means the end of being involved, not so for Lindy. In 1999 she rediscovered the joy of cycling, this time on a tandem bike. When Lindy very narrowly missed selection for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Team the disappointment made her determined to be a member of the Australian team for the 2004 Games in Athens.
The Athens Paralympic Games were a triumph for Lindy. Not only did she make the team with pilots Janelle Lindsay and Toireasa Gallagher, but she and Janelle had the honour of being the first Australian females to win Gold at the Athens Paralympic Games. She came home with a total of four medals. During the Games, Lindy and Janelle set the World Women’s 200m Fly record of 11.675 seconds.
Exactly one year later, on the 19 September 2005, when Lindy and her pilot Toireasa Gallagher set the One Hour World Women’s Tandem record of 42.93km at the Sydney Dunc Gray Velodrome, Lindy held the shortest and the longest world records recognised by the Union of Cycling International (UCI), the governing body for world cycling!
“Australia is the land of opportunity and regardless of our backgrounds, we can still represent this country and be the best in the world.”
Another year later, in September 2006, Lindy finally won her first Rainbow Jersey (the world championship jersey) with her pilot Toireasa Gallagher when they won two gold medals at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships.
At the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, Lindy and Toireasa continued to win cycling medals for Australia by winning a silver and bronze medal.
“To be able to wear the Australian uniform and stand on the podium in Beijing, the land of my ancestors is the essence of what being an Aussie is all about.”
Since Lindy’s retirement from Paralympic Cycling, she has continued to keep fit through cycling and running. In the last five years she has completed many charity bike rides including a ride from Cairns to Melbourne. She finished the Melbourne marathon. She also competed in many triathlons and represented Australia at the World Paratriathlon Championships in London.
Prior to losing her sight Lindy worked for fifteen years in the Information Technology industry and for the last twelve years of her professional career worked as a consultant to many major corporations dealing with their accounting systems. Lindy gained extensive and valuable knowledge of the corporate environment and became very familiar with the type of stress and challenges professional workers and managers deal with.
Lindy’s life journey, both challenging and rewarding, has made her the person she is today. Lindy is now able to share her journey with others to empower them to achieve their own personal best.
