By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
A CASEY foster mum who has been taking care of children for over 40 years was this week awarded with a community service award by Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan.
Joan Graham, from Devon Meadows, was presented with the Juan Carlos Loyola OAM Award for Longstanding Community Service on Tuesday at the Dandenong RSL, where members of her family, Endeavour Hills Lioness Club members and Doveton Special Soccer School players were all in attendance.
Joan said she was taken aback when Mr Donnellan rang her last week to inform her that she would be receiving the award.
“I was surprised, it’s very humbling and an honour to get an award for something you like to doing,” she said.
“Without my late husband I couldn’t have done it; sometimes it’s been pretty hard. I have four children of my own, they’re loving kids.
“It’s rewarding to have the support from your husband – he loved the children just as much as I did, and it’s something we both enjoyed doing together.”
Joan and husband, Brian, seemed destined to become foster parents, with Joan’s own parents having taken in kids from a Melbourne orphanage when she was still young.
Mr Donnellan said he hoped the award encouraged others to do good work.
“Joan has been a foster carer for over 40 years, and in that time she has cared for over 300 children,” he said.
“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award than Joan.”
The Juan Carlos Loyola OAM award is an annual award now in its second year. It is presented to a resident of south-east Melbourne who has shown a long-term dedication to the local community through their volunteer work.
The award is named after Juan Carlos Loyola OAM, who has worked tirelessly with the Doveton Special School for 20 years.
