Cockatoo community advocate Dot Griffin talks about her passion and love for her town.
Cockatoo icon DOT GRIFFIN talks to Journalist Paul PICKERING about her passion for her hometown and her recent Australia Day award.
FONDLY known as the ‘velvet steamroller’ Dot Griffin has no qualms about advocating and supporting her town.
However, when it comes to the spotlight, this Cockatoo icon prefers to fade into the background.
Dot says that the feelings of embarrassment were the first to surface when she was named the Cardinia Shire Council’s Citizen of the Year in January.
This was because she said that her 34-year relationship with the Cockatoo community had been compelled by love – not obligation.
“It was a bit embarrassing because I do what I do because I love it. It’s just part of who I am,” she said.
Despite her moment of embarrassment, Dot said she appreciated the recognition, although those who know her will attest that she has never sought it.
As Dot explains her community-mindedness was almost an inevitable product of working in -and later owning – the Cockatoo post office for two decades.
“That was great because you got to talk to everybody and learn about all the issues and the things that were happening, which made you want to go out and do more,” she said.
Dot has become an admired figure in Cockatoo since moving to the tiny hillside township with her husband, Collin, in 1974.
Her influence in countless community posts has paved the way for the formation of the Cockatoo Township Committee, the establishment of the Cockatoo-Gembrook branch of the Bendigo Community Bank and the McBride Street renewal program – to mention an inadequate selection of her contributions.
For Dot, the desire to ‘do more’ ultimately prompted her to sell the post office 10 years ago and dedicate herself to full-time community work.
In her role with the fledgling Cockatoo Township Committee, Dot became known for her negotiation skills and determination to achieve the best result for her community.
It was this trait that led one of Dot’s colleagues to affectionately dub her the ‘Velvet Steamroller’.
While Dot jokes that hers isn’t a particularly flattering nickname, her long-time friend and current Township Committee president Graham Simpson says her diplomatic philosophy has served the community well.
“She’s just one of those people who gets things done and we all admire her for that,” he said.
Although Dot is rightly proud of the achievements, she says her finest accomplishment has been her success in finding a balance between community and family.
While, Dot will always have a strong involvement in her local community, she has now begun to scale back her commitments in a bid to spend more time with family and friends.
Still, the community will surely find some comfort in the knowledge that Dot’s guidance is only a phone call away.
