Lesley Esther Johnson receives honour for her contributions to the community

Lesley has given almost 60 years of her life to volunteering with the church and the Gunning community and said she was stunned to learn she was being made an OAM.

"I had no idea I was even nominated until I heard from The Governor General's office, it was very exciting," Lesley said.

"It is humbling to know that my contribution to the Gunning community is thought so highly of.

"I share this honour with all people I have had the privilege to work beside."

Receiving the award as part of the King's Birthday honour roll was a special highlight after fulfilling a lifelong dream of seeing Buckingham Palace in 2013.

Lesley said she can even fondly recall hearing the coronation of the Late Queen Elizabeth II via radio broadcast.

Lesley began her extraordinary string of community volunteering in 1953, teaching Sunday School before also taking on the organisation of the Methodist Church's harvest festival in 1956.

The following year she married her husband Brian and she's been part of almost every community group in Gunning in the 60 years since.

She took on various roles with the Young Wives Group for the six years to 1965, then she joined the executive of the church women's union and remained a part of the organisation for 50 years before departing in 2015.

She's also has a 35-year career as a parish councillor, spent five years as the president of the Gunning Mothers' Club from 1970 to '74.

Lesley credited a closeness to her own parents that inspired her to step into that role and now her husband and children Narelle and Peter continue to support her volunteering.

"My parents were always very supportive and now my family is too," she said.

"Thank you to my husband Brian and my two children Narelle and Peter.

"It is my pleasure to serve the Gunning community in whatever capacity I possibly can, striving to make a positive impact on people and the community."

Sydney-born, Lesley spent most of her youth in a small town between Gunning and Gundaroo on the way to Canberra, but 25 years ago, she and Brian made the move closer to Gunning.

She said she felt a special bond with the town that her father had called home.

"I have always loved Gunning, it's where my father grew up, it's always felt like home to me even if I wasn't living there," she said.

She has strong ties to the church, serving as president of the Parish Council for the Cartwright Mission District between 2015 and 2019, where she also oversaw the restoration of Gunning's Church of Saint Edmund in 2018.

"I was really passionate about the restoration of the building and plan on sticking with it until the end of the project," Lesley said.

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In 2022 she was made an Honorary Lay Canon in the Anglican Arch Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn at Saint Saviour's Cathedral.

She also spent nearly 30 years as representative to the Synod between 1990 and 2018.

But it's not just the church that has been graced by Lesley's community spirit, in those years she's also been a strong advocate for community safety, young women and sport.

"My mother was always involved in heaps of different organisations so I guess I picked it up from her," Lesley beamed.

Lesley has been a Steward of the Gunning Show Society since 1970, and sat on the council of the Gunning P&C for five years.

More recently she volunteered as a driver for the Community Health Service for 25 years from 1990-2015.

At the same time she was a volunteer in the Rural Neighbourhood Watch Program.

She also spent a decade as coordinator of the annual Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner for the region between 2007 and 2017.

One of her proudest achievements has been her work with Girl Guides, serving as District Commissioner from 1980-1985, before taking on her own troupe as a brownie leader between 1990-1993.

Her commitment to the town and its people has not gone un-noticed with Lesley being named the Citizen of the Year in 1999.

Husband of more than 66 years Brian said he and the family could not be more proud.

"She's always got something on the go, she works very hard in everything she does, always helping others," Brian said.

Lesley said the best thing about her work in the community is the people she has worked alongside and that the award was recognition of their efforts.

"The people I have worked is deserve this award, it has been such a privilege to know them for so many years," she said.

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