The death of Pam Pretty earlier this month has left a large hole in many community organisations in Drouin.
Mrs Pretty, 86, died on December 6. She began her community volunteering in the town soon after her arrival as a 20 year-old recently married to a clerk at the then Buln Buln Shire, Keith Pretty.
Just three months later she was thrown into the public limelight when her husband became shire secretary after the unexpected death of the incumbent Tom Ryan.
Moving to Drouin from Jindivick on her marriage Mrs Pretty worked in the office of the Drouin Co-operative Butter Factory until the first of her two sons arrived and, while they were still at pre-school ages, established a fashion salon in the town that she ran in partnership with her mother for six years.
Despite what was an already busy young married life Mrs Pretty was quick to become involved in the Drouin community taking up leading roles in many volunteer groups.
Initially they included the Drouin infant welfare centre, Oak Street kindergarten committee, Drouin primary school mothers' club, as a religious education teacher at the school, and helping out at canteens at the Drouin High and Warragul Technical schools.
She also was an advisor to Drouin Young Farmers club, a member of the Queen Elizabeth 11 silver jubilee appeal's local committee, Buln Buln's Shire's committee for Victoria's 150th anniversary celebrations as well as involvements with the local Inner Wheel and Probus clubs and delivered meals-on-wheels for 17 years.
On top of all that was what her son Greg, in a eulogy at the funeral service, called "the big four" - Drouin's Presbyterian Church, Country Women's Association, Lyrebird Village for the Aged and the West Gippsland auxiliary of the Tipping Foundation.
Mrs Pretty was a foundation member of the Lyrebird Village auxiliary, its treasurer for 12 years and president for one and a member of Lyrebird's committee of management from 1985 to 1987 where she served as treasurer and a member of the finance and executive committee.
She remained a member of the Drouin CWA from 1968 serving multiple periods as president, secretary and treasurer, a welfare officer and catering convenor, initiated a project to build a CWA kiosk in Princes Way that was gifted to the shire, wrote a history of the branch and was awarded life membership.
Throughout Mrs Pretty's time in Drouin the Presbyterian Church played a big part in her life.
She was a member of the board of management for 25 years, an elder for 22 years, and a member for 46 years and president of the Ladies Evening Fellowship for which she also was awarded life membership.
The Tipping Foundation, that supports people with an intellectual disability, benefitted from Mrs Pretty's involvement as a foundation member and a president of the West Gippsland auxiliary raising funds to equip two accommodation houses in Drouin.
She received a Baw Baw Shire Australia Day medallion in 1999 for her service to the CWA and Presbyterian Church and was made a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow in 1986 for service to the community.
Life began for Mrs Pretty as Pamela Gladys Allen, born at Gympie in Queensland to Edgar and Gladys Allen.
Her father's work as a miner and construction foreman took the family from Queensland centres Cracow, New Moonta, Yeppoon and Mount Morgan to Fiji for three years before a return to Queensland then to Western Victoria and, in 1951 and still a teenager, to Jindivick where her father was an overseer on construction of the "two-mile long tunnel" that connected the Tarago River system to the pipeline to supply water to Mornington Peninsula.
Mrs Pretty completed her schooling at Warragul High School ahead for working at the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission's office at Jindivick and later a solicitor's office in Warragul.
Mrs Pretty is survived by her husband Keith, sons Greg and Rodney, daughter-in-law Judy, two granddaughters and a great grandson. A sister, Lorraine, lives in Perth.