Queanbeyan's Norma Roach has been involved in the city ever since she and her husband Trevor moved here from England in the 1950s.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And while the city celebrates its 175th birthday this weekend the couple will also mark 55 years promoting culture and the arts in the NSW border-town.
Their work was recognised this week when their names were included in the new Queanbeyan Cultural Honours Gallery.
It was just one of the celebratory events to be held in the city to mark the significant birthday milestone.
The couple were founding members of the Queanbeyan Players theatre group in the 1960s and have continued contributing to city life since.
Mrs Roach received a Centenary Medal in 2001 and an OAM in 2009 in recognition of her work in the field.
The Roaches moved to Queanbeyan in 1958 and lived next door to the Crawford Street Medical Practice, which now houses the post office.
Mrs Roach said her husband had been posted there as a locum doctor after a short time in Canberra, and they had fallen in love with the city.
''It was a very friendly place,'' she said. ''It still feels homely, and I feel we have a bit of a say in what goes on here.''
Mrs Roach said the original Players were members of the Methodist Church. Over the years as the group expanded they moved first to the Anglican Parish Hall and then to the old Nova Cinema, owned by retail giant JB Youngs - now Riverside Plaza.
The cramped conditions made them realise that the city needed proper facilities for the Players.
''This is when we started battling for a theatre,'' Mrs Roach said.
Profits from their shows slowly added up helped by numerous fund-raising efforts including selling scones at a stall in Monaro Street.
And lobbying the council eventually paid off. The Players finally got their wish when the Q Performing Arts Centre opened in March 2008 and where the group performs twice a year.
Mrs Roach, who is on the council's cultural committee, said the weekend birthday celebrations were sure to be popular. ''It's going to be great fun, I think,'' she said.
Saturday's program will include a parade of 175 years of transport, a formal ceremony, a multicultural dance spectacular, family entertainment, food stalls, fireworks and a youth concert featuring Queanbeyan's Stik n' Move, Omar Musa and RubyIce.
More information about Queanbeyan's 175th birthday celebrations can be found on the council's website at www.qcc.nsw.gov.au
