One of the jobs I had to do at the Probus meeting on Tuesday was to talk to one of our members who is being given a Life Membership at our AGM next month. We like to say a few pertinent words at that sort of occasion so it pays to have a chat beforehand. The member’s name is Alison Christie and some bright spark thought that, because we share a surname, I was the right man for the job. Of course, I don’t know Alison any better than I know anyone else in the club.
I did discover that she was born in Scotland and was brought up in East Lothian. I had to confess I had no knowledge of that area and had to look at a map. There are no major cities there but I did recognise some of the towns: Peebles, Musselburgh, Coldstream, for example. She told me she came to Australia in 1962 to visit her uncle who was working here, on the construction of the Clark Dam. She must have liked it as she stayed, working for a local solicitor for twenty years.
She married her husband, George, in 1992. He was a farmer and would have been quite a bit older than she was, and he has since passed away. It was George’s daughter, Deirdre who was instrumental in starting Giant Steps School. She and her husband, Kim, had a son with autism and, with the financial support of their church, scoured the world looking for the best program to help him. They discovered Giant Steps in Canada.
All the local Christies are tall so, when I arrived in Deloraine to take over Giant Steps, it was assumed I was another member of the family. People didn’t believe me when I said the name was just a coincidence.
Alison has been a long-term member of the Club, taking her turn as President and several years as Secretary. It will be a pleasure to present her with her award, which is quite a handsome medal.
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