General News
12 March, 2025
Senior Citizen Heather Thiele
A shocked Heather Thiele accepted this year’s award of Senior Citizen of the Year at the annual Senior Citizen’s Luncheon and Expo on Monday, March 10, 2025.
The shire hall celebration event was well attended with the senior residents of the district treated to lunch, information about local services, and an array of entertainment by Gilgandra’s local musicians.
Gilgandra Shire Council mayor Doug Batten read out Heather’s nomination for the award (below), which contained a mix of local interests and contributions, as well as her international advocacy for sufferers of Pink Disease (mercury poisoning).
2025 Senior Citizen of the Year citation
“Heather Thiele has been a long-time member of this community, moving here in the 1970s from New Guinea. Heather has a passion for craft. She is continuously trying new things, but one of her craft passions is crochet. Heather is a member of the CWA Windmill Yarners group. A group she helped to establish in 2018. It is a friendship group. A group of ladies getting together to knit, crocket or sew, have a cuppa and enjoy each other’s company.
“Under Heather’s guidance, the group has continued to knit, crochet or sew in support of local groups. Many rugs and blankets have been donated to community members in need. They have also donated rugs to Cooee Lodge residents that do not have family in Gilgandra, Macquarie Home Stay in Dubbo, Dubbo Cancer Ward and local university students just starting out at university. Blankets in the colours of the aboriginal flag were also created and donated to the Westmead Aboriginal Children’s Ward.
“‘Made with Love – Murrum’, is another group supported by the windmill yarners. This is a national charity that provides funeral garments to parents of stillborn babies or miscarried babies, anytime from 15-weeks’ gestation. The name means pretty, beautiful, lovely goods in the Bundjalung language. Some of the clothing for the little angels are wedding dresses that have been remade into funeral clothes for these precious souls. Finished items for the tiny angels are sent to various hospitals and funeral directors throughout Australia. Heather is extremely grateful for the wool donations from the community that allow her and others to keep doing this wonderful work. Their latest project that they are working on, is to knit bed socks for the elderly of our community.
“Over the years, Heather has also been involved with other organisations. Heather was the Gilgandra Pony Club secretary for almost 10 years and is still involved with horses to this current day.
“Heather started the Pink Disease Support Group in 1989. This group is to support those living with Pink Disease, a disease of which Heather is a sufferer. Pink Disease is caused by sensitivity to mercury. It was common in the first half of the 20th century, where mercury was in teething powders etc. This support group has thousands of members, many of whom Heather personally wrote to when establishing the group. Heather also lobbied government to implement a mercury free vaccination program which commenced in 2001. At a local level she initiated the mercury/fluorescent light tube recycling program,” concluded mayor Batten.
