By Marcus Uhe
The O’Donoghue and Bell names are synonymous with the Noble Park area.
Whether it’s the Paddy O’Donoghue Centre on Buckley Street or the Robert Bell Pavilion at the home of Noble Park Football Club, their legacy on the suburb is undeniable.
Those old enough will even remember the O‘Donoghue Bakery on Douglas Street.
On Monday 13 June, it’s Robert’s (affectionately known as Bob around town) daughter and Paddy’s niece, Dawn Dickson’s turn to add her name to the honour board, receiving an OAM as part of the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to the community through a range of roles.
The mother of two and grandmother of six moved to Cranbourne North 20 years ago but her ties to the area remain.
“When you’re born and bred in Noble Park, it’s a really deep connection,” Ms Dickson said.
“It never goes. My heart’s there.”
Since 1981, she has served as a trustee for the Noble Park Public Hall, following in the footsteps of Paddy and Bob as former trustees before they passed away.
The hall was named after Paddy in the early 1980s to recognise his contribution as a trustee for 47 years, following his sudden passing.
It holds a unique place in the community, still owned by surrounding residents despite being managed by the City of Greater Dandenong under a lease agreement, thanks to the rigorous campaigning of Ms Dickson and her fellow trustees.
In 2019, Ms Dickson documented the rich history of the facility by publishing If These Walls Could Talk, dating back to its construction in 1924.
Ms Dickson also served as a secretary for the Noble Park Football Club, Club Noble – the football club’s social club, while her husband John was on the committee.
In 1979, she left her occupation as a legal secretary and became a marriage celebrant, where she has officiated roughly 5000 weddings and funerals since.
Her passion for committees and involvement saw her join the Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of Victoria in 1994, before being made an honorary secretary in 2004 and receiving life membership in 2006.
Conducting her celebrant duties with excellence and commitment to the job has seen her career prosper and strengthen her ties within the community.
She described her career as a celebrant as one of her favourite achievements.
“Many of those (weddings and funerals) are for local people,” Ms Dickson said.
“I’m still marrying and doing funerals for the same families. It’s nice when you have some families that remind us of marriages and burials done for others in the same family, and they want you to do the ceremony rather than anyone else.
“It’s a great privilege to do the ceremony to write their life story. There’s lots of self-reward. “
Her passion for community involvement even took her to the far north-west of the country as a volunteer within the Gnylmarung community, from Beagle Bay, 90 minutes north of Broome.
Dawn helps with administration work and managing the bookings from Melbourne, while John undertook grounds keeping work on the campground before he passed away in 2020.
So special is the place to her family that her John’s ashes were scattered there after he passed, and she still takes the opportunity to visit when she can.
These days, her spare time is divided between looking after her grandkids and following their sporting endeavours, and holidaying at her Woodside Beach property.
At 72, retirement is on the horizon, but she still has a couple of professional goals to tick off.
“I really want to marry (my grandchildren) and then I can retire.”
