Lennox Herald, Friday, February 25, 2011

 

It’s an honour, says June

 

Hard-working Dumbarton woman named Citizen of the Year

 

By Marc McLean

 

June Galloway does plenty to help others and doesn’t think much of it.

For 27 years the Dumbarton woman has been assisting blind people as one of the volunteers with talking newspaper Rockvale rebound.

Every Wednesday, June gives up her time as a tutor for school pupils needing that little extra support, and she also helps out organising social events with Riverside Church.

It’s all no big deal to the 57-year-old retired teacher – but it is to the many people who benefit from June’s kindness.

That’s why the mother-of-two has deservedly been named Dumbarton Citizen of the Year for 2011.

After receiving the news from West Dunbartonshire Provost Denis Agnew last week, a modest June said: “It is an honour, but whether or not it is entirely deserved I don’t know. There are many others in the area who do voluntary work and play important roles in the community.”

June picked up the Dumbarton award after being nominated by two members of Clydebank Life Story Group, a literary organisation she is a founder member of.

Alexandria’s citizen of the year is Grace McDermid, while Rose Hutchison picked up the honour for Clydebank.

June is married to Alasdair and has two children, Andrew, 28, and Emma, 24. Since its formation in 1998, June has dedicated time to the Clydebank Life Story Group and now serves as secretary.

The group’s team of writers have published untold stories of the horrors of the Clydebank Blitz through first-hand experiences.

As well as serving as valuable historical resources, these accounts have been used to help teach local school pupils.

The non-profit organisation also produced a book of poetry and its sales raised almost £1000 for St Margaret’s Hospice, Erskine, and Revive MS Support.

June said: “I don’t have memories of the war but I’ve learned a tremendous amount from other people and their experiences.

“I find it very sad that we have all those images of war on TV day in, day out in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

“It made me realise that those men, women and children are today going through the same hellish time that people did 70 years ago during the Clydebank Blitz. They are ordinary human beings and suffer in the same way.”

A member of Riverside Church in Dumbarton, June is involved with its social and project committee and enjoys helping to organise social events through the church.

She also gets satisfaction from assisting primary and secondary school pupils at a supported study group every Wednesday in Dumbarton’s Concord Centre.

She said: “Tutors offer a one to one service so that, if a child has a wee thing in the class they have missed, they can discuss it one to one to catch up.”

As a volunteer with talking Rockvale Rebound, June serves as one of the newsreaders for the blind and partially sighted.

She reads articles from the Lennox Herald and other media outlets which is then recorded on tape and delivered to people.

June said:”It’s a really worthwhile service and keeps blind people up to date with what’s happening in their area.”

West Dunbartonshire Provost Denis Agnew said: “This year we received an excellent response from the public and I am delighted with the winners that have been chosen by the judging panel. We all know people who give so much back to their communities but they don’t always get the recognition they deserve. I would like to thank them for their continued commitment, dedication and hard work and acknowledge the many hours they have given for the good of others.”

A civic reception and presentation will be held by Provost Agnew to mark the occasion with the winners’ family and invited guests.