AN EMERALD local has lived in, worked in and supported the community for nearly 40 years in a variety of ways, with a central focus on sport and those in need.
Lyn Brown has lived in Emerald with her husband and children for 37 years and has worn many hats over the years in different community groups and committees.
Mrs Brown said her and her husband Vincent moved to Emerald from Rockhampton in 1984 just after they got married.
“We were planning on staying for six months but we’re still here 37 years later,” she said.
“We had no kids at the time, I had just started work and my husband was driving trains.
“I started working at the Emerald Co-Op and then at the court house, where I worked for 10 years.
“We did everything, including Main Roads registrations and were the general hub of the community.
“When our two boys came along, I started connecting with the community more through playgroups, kindy, school and through involving myself and my kids in a lot of extracurricular activities.
“I ended up on committees in most of those groups and schools, which was a great way to meet people from all walks of life.
“I made lifelong friends from my playgroup days and even more through my activities since.”
Mrs Brown is a cornerstone of the Emerald cricket community as treasurer of the Emerald Brothers Cricket Club and regular contributor to local sports news but has also been a figurehead for community members in other ways.
Mrs Brown said after 10 years at the court house, she started work with Anne Murray and Co Solicitors, as well as teaching part-time at TAFE.
“I also ended up on boards at Marist College, but my key passion was my work with Yumba Bimbi Support Services,” she said.
“These days, most of my time is taken up with cricket, even though my kids have grown up.”
Mrs Brown has shown immense reliability for different parts of the community over the years and is not shy in expressing her love of our little town.
She said her family stayed in Emerald because they love the lifestyle and people.
“We’re also close enough to the coast here that we can always go back home to Emerald if we want to,” she said.
“It’s great to live in a town where you can duck home for lunch in five minutes and be back in time.
“It’s not just Emerald I love, it’s the whole of the Central Highlands.
“Through sport, we’ve made friends right across the Highlands.”
Mrs Brown’s work with the community extends not just to those who want it, but those who need it as she said she is also a Justice of the Peace.
“I’ve helped a lot of people in that role over the years, and I’m even currently a community member on council’s Sport and Recreation Advisory Group (SARAG).
“It’s all about me, as a community member, having input into the future of sports and recreation across the Central Highlands.
“I would like to be more involved in local government in future, and as we’re ready to retire, I can’t see us ever moving because of our strong community ties.”
