Former Narooma GP, and president of the Narooma Chamber of Commerce Dr Jenny Munro AM has been named Eurobodalla's 2022 Local Hero at a ceremony at the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens on May 18.
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When Ms Munro told her 13-year-old granddaughter about her surprise at receiving the award, her granddaughter responded:
"Why would you be gran? You are in everything!"
Ms Munro fell in love with Narooma when she first visited the area to see family more than 45 years ago, and has never since considered leaving.
From age 12 she wanted to be a GP, and saw this come to fruition starting Narooma Lighthouse Surgery in 1977.
In 2011, Lighthouse Surgery won Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) practice of the year; Ms Munro won RACGP GP of the year. In 2013, Ms Munro was NSW Telstra business woman of the year for her running of Lighthouse Surgery.
"I'm very, very proud of the fact I created a couple of wonderful medical centers that are still going," she said.
Ms Munro said fulltime work consumed her spare time, and she didn't have much opportunity to give back while working as a GP.
Her retirement in 2015 was a chance to be involved in the community.
"That was my opportunity to actually do lots of things I've never really had time to do," she said.
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At first, retirement consisted of cooking, sewing and tackling the Russian novels, however Ms Munro said she couldn't help but be involved in the community. While she still manages to play bridge twice a week, much of her retirement is taken up volunteering and helping the community.
"I love being engaged with people," she said. "I am so happy."
She joined a committee to save the local NAB bank in 2018 and has not stepped back from serving the community.
In 2019 she joined Narooma Business Chamber, becoming secretary prior to the Black Summer Bushfires, and president in 2020.
Ms Munro was excited talking about all the Business Chamber had achieved, despite the hindrance of COVID: planning a community welcome for the return of Olympian Valentino Guseli, involvement with the Narooma strategic plan, helping Narooma businesses secure funding through the Black Summer Bushfire recovery grants and involvement with the Oyster Festival, to name just a few.
"I drove people mad sending them emails about the latest health orders and advice and what grants were available," Ms Munro said.
She hopes the chamber will be able to run local business awards and keep supporting and celebrating all that is happening in the community.
She is passionate about Narooma. She could barely contain her excitement listing some of the new initiatives and developments in the community.
"Everything I see is happening is just incredible," she said. "Merrivale coming to town, Southbound Escapes moving to the visitors centre, the new mountain bike trails, surf academy.
"I just love all of these things happening."
She is excited about the future of Narooma, but more importantly, the people who make up the town. It's why she started the Lighthouse Scholarship Fund.
Ms Munro was one of the first in her family to complete university, and to continue this legacy for future generations, she funded her niece to study at university in South Australia.
When her niece was awarded a scholarship, allowing her to fund her own education, she told Ms Munro how lifechanging the financial support had been, and how she should take any opportunity to support young students.
Ms Munro thought to herself "What if I provided some funding to support a student going away to study at university?"
She did, and a few years later she established the Lighthouse Scholarship Fund, which has so far supported 31 high school graduates in their university endeavors.
"They've completed PhD's and become doctors: it's been truly wonderful," Ms Munro said.
"We choose someone who sounds as if they're really going to put back into the community and they all have."
It was for the Lighthouse Fund, and for her commitment to general practice and to training new medical students that Ms Munro was awarded an Order of Australia in 2013.
She is also the president of the Southern NSW Order of Australia Association, connecting people who have won awards together to encourage them to keep doing good for the community.
Together with other national award recipients in the area, Ms Munro has helped develop scholarships to support youth to participate in the Young Endeavour sailing program.
The 73-year-old promised to not slow down.
"We'd like to be able to do more," she said.
"I haven't done anything I haven't loved. I just want to stay well enough to keep on doing it."
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James Tugwell
James Tugwell is a reporter for Australian Community Media in Batemans Bay. james.tugwell@austcommunitymedia.com.au 0447 189 738
James Tugwell is a reporter for Australian Community Media in Batemans Bay. james.tugwell@austcommunitymedia.com.au 0447 189 738
