Memorial plaque for Helen Jones unveiled at Goolwa
On Thursday 15th September a group of friends and colleagues of the late Helen Jones gathered at the small rose garden behind the original Council Chambers in Goolwa Terrace. Mayor Keith Parkes unveiled a plaque recognising the many aspects of Helen’s service to her community. The plaque is attached to a park bench, which looks out over the garden which was part of Helen’s legacy to the town. Members of the large team of volunteers who help maintain Goolwa’s gardens were present also as a token of the respect and admiration with which Helen is remembered. The idea for the plaque was a joint project by the Rotary Club of Goolwa and the Tidy Towns group, both of which Helen was an active member for many years.
Helen was a force behind Goolwa becoming involved with, and recognised with, a number of awards from Tidy Towns, an offshoot of KESAB, which has recently celebrated 50 years of community service.
Through Helen’s involvement some years ago the Rotary Club of Goolwa adopted a section of the Goolwa Port-Elliot Road and continues to conduct regular clean-up days. Helen was also involved with the Main Street program, which saw the planting of trees in the main street, the establishment of 12 public gardens in Goolwa, and the primary school coming on board with the nomination for the Tidy Towns Award. These projects have also led to an involvement with other community environmental groups, such as Trees for Life.
Helen’s profession as a nurse and midwife, and her personal family mental health issues, encouraged her to organise several Mental Health Forums as part of the Rotary Health initiative, and she continued offering ongoing support through counselling within the Goolwa community.
Friday 7th October will be Rotary’s annual “Hat Day”, which aims to not only raise funds for Mental Health Research, but also to encourage awareness of this widespread illness affecting everyone in our local community, in one form or another.
The unveiling was also attended by Helen’s husband, Alan Jones and members of her family.
L to R
Back Row: Lachlan Robinson, Henry Robinson, Georgia Livingston, Sue Jones, Cathy Jones, Lizzie Livingston
Front row: Thomas Robinson, Alan Jones and Mayor Keith Parkes (seated)