Award brings tears of joy

By Paul Pickering
FERNTREE Gully grocer Chris Quinn was overcome by emotion at last Friday’s Australia Day awards ceremony, fighting a torrent of tears as he was presented with the Knox City Council’s Citizen of the Year award.
In front of an audience of present and future community stalwarts, the expatriate Irishman painted a nostalgic picture of the leafy town that he has come to call home.
“When I came to Ferntree Gully, it was the end of the earth,” he recalled.
“I had £50 in the bank and the shirt on my back – that’s about all.
“Burwood Highway had one lane and there was three traffic lights between Ferntree Gully and Warrigal roads.”
Upon immigrating to Australia from Ireland in 1949, Mr Quinn established the first grocery store in the area that provided a home delivery service.
His red van became a familiar and welcome sight in the area, delivering groceries all the way to the customer’s kitchen bench.
In the 1960s, Mr Quinn became a valued ally of the CFA, opening his shop’s doors to provide supplies for local fire crews during bushfire seasons.
Mr Quinn has also been an active member of the Gully’s Catholic community for many years, serving as a board member at the St Johns Catholic Church and St Johns Primary School.
The Galway-born grocer also offered his assistance to the Irish Welfare Bureau, helping fellow immigrants settle, as he had, in his adopted homeland.
Knox mayor Jim Penna said: “Chris’s generosity and willingness to help others has played an integral part in making Ferntree Gully the great community it is today.”
The mayor also recognised council’s Volunteer of the Year, Upper Ferntree Gully’s John Williams.
After moving to the area in 1987, Mr Williams began volunteering for St Johns Anglican Church and the Ferntree Gully Gardens aged-care facility.
Living by the motto of ‘wear out, not rust out’, Mr Williams has worked tirelessly for 15 years at the Knox Community Volunteers including delivering food to the community’s frail and elderly as part of the Meals on Wheels program.
Overwhelmed by the community’s appreciation, Mr Williams said: “I was shocked (to win), I couldn’t believe my ears.”
Knox’s Local Hero for 2007 is Craig Lamprell who came to the aid of a stranger who was being attacked outside his Boronia residence late last year.
Mr Lamprell’s award came after he assisted Stephen Clissold who was being assaulted by two young men wielding timber planks and a crow bar.
Mr Lamprell emerged from his house with a camera to scare the men off.
He described the sickening sound of the attack as “like a wood-chopping competition.”
After snapping a series of photos that would later lead to charges being laid, Mr Lamprell nursed the victim until the ambulance arrived.
Young Citizen of the Year Alarna Power, a 21-year-old from Wantirna South, was also recognised for her work with the Knox Youth Council, playing an integral role in the organisation of a number of events including 2006 National Youth Week.
Congratulating all the nominees on their service to the Knox community, Cr Penna said: “they exemplify the spirit that keeps our country moving forward.”