You are ACE! spotlights

Dawn first joined Resthaven Murray Bridge in 1975 after job-hunting for temporary work.

“My fourth child had just started high school, and it was expensive keeping them all in shoes and uniforms and everything else, so I started looking for a job,” she says.

What began as paid work became a 23-year career. When that ended, she simply kept coming back, this time as a volunteer. Nearly five decades on, Wednesday mornings still belong to Resthaven Murray Bridge.

“I’ve always enjoyed it,” she says. “The people and talking to them. That’s what keeps you going.”

The Murray Bridge volunteer has been nominated for Ageing Australia’s national You Are ACE! Award in recognition of her decades of service.

While Dawn knows many residents from her school days and small-town connections at the aged care home, she treats everyone like an old friend and often makes a beeline for newcomers.

“You can see when they’re not quite settled,” she says. “So, I sit down and have a chat. They brighten up pretty quickly - they’re not so mopey after that.”

But Dawn’s impact has grown even further through her love of New Vogue dancing.

Four times a year at both Meningie and Lameroo, near the Victorian border, she and her New Vogue dance group dress up and perform for aged care residents, turning common rooms into lively dance halls for the afternoon.

“We dress up and go and dance for them,” she says. “They love it. You see their faces change and they smile and some tap along, it takes them back to when they used to go dancing.”

Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson says Dawn’s nomination reflects the extraordinary contribution volunteers make across the sector.

“People like Dawn are the heart of aged care in this country,” he says. “Decades of commitment, turning up week after week, and still finding new ways to bring joy into people’s lives – that’s exactly what the You Are ACE! Awards are about.”

“In many regional and rural communities, volunteers are an essential part of the aged care ecosystem,” he says. “They provide continuity, local knowledge and an extra layer of social connection that complements the work of paid staff.”

Over nearly 50 years, Dawn has watched aged care change dramatically. Today’s homes care for residents with far more complex needs, supported by qualified nurses and specialised staff, but more can be done to support connection she says.

“It would be nice if they could have the same people,” she says. “It makes them feel secure.”

Outside volunteering and dancing, Dawn is matriarch to a growing family, including 15 great-grandchildren and counting.

“I can’t keep up with all the birthdays anymore,” she laughs.

Despite her nomination for the You Are ACE! Award, she remains modest.

“I didn’t expect anything like that,” she says. “I just go in and do what I do.”