On 19 October 1957, Joan Margaret Selby (nee Seberry) married Alan Maxwell Selby at St. John’s Anglican Church in Corowa and lived in the area until they moved to Yarrawonga.
Joan Selby was a wonderful ambassador for the town of Yarrawonga, which she called home from January 1960.
Joan and Alan Selby arrived in Yarrawonga with their daughter Judith and Elizabeth was born shortly thereafter. They later added two more children to their family - Kathleen and Gordon and settled well into the township. Joan and Alan were hard working people and embraced the community of Yarrawonga as much as the community embraced them.
Joan was a devout Christian woman and held many positions in St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church being awarded Life Membership for her charitable work.
She filled in as relief for local concerns – cook at Mulwala Explosives Factory (building up custom by 30% - her Golden Syrup Dumplings renowned throughout the factory workers) and the Terminus Hotel in Belmore Street for one summer, before taking on the Yarrawonga High School Canteen Manager position – hundreds of students fondly remember her from this time, as well as their camp cook on excursions.
Joan then took over the running of the Yarrawonga Foreshore Kiosk, with Alan and the four children assisting for several years.
Joan gave her time generously to many organisations: she was the Catering Manager for the Girl Guides for 10 years and the money raised bought a permanent home for this organisation (the old Methodist Church); 55 years in the Anglican Church holding many positions (President of the Women’s Auxiliary for 43 years; President of the Mothers Union for 33 years; Catering Manager for 20 Debutante Balls and countless fundraising luncheons and fetes); tennis and golf club committees for 16 years (Joan was the winning Captain of the Yarrawonga Mulwala Women’s Pennant Team, 6th Division, three years in a row).
Joan’s charitable endeavours saw her acknowledged at the 2016 Victorian Premier’s Volunteer Champions Award in recognition of her years of volunteering in the Yarrawonga Community which she attended at Government House in the company of her husband and four children.
As her youngest child, Gordon Selby, would say to his mother when heading off for school each day; “adios, arrivederci, sayonara, au revoir, Joan Margaret Selby”.
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