Lexie Turns 80

AUGUST 2018 | Hayley Manning

CONGRATULATIONS TO Lexie Young who celebrated her 80th Birthday and OBE (admission to the ‘over 80’s’ club) at the Rotary Pavilion on Saturday 7th July.

A large party of family and friends connected to the Meander Valley region and Lexie, in one way or another, returned to help commemorate the milestone birthday.

You may recognise the Deloraine elder as one of the three ladies in the Four Roses flour advertisements that have been so successful. Lexie and the other ‘roses’ Jan Atkins and Sandra Atkins were asked to do a series of ads for TV and radio.

Lexie has volunteered tirelessly for many organisations over the years, including the Red Cross since 1976, and Lexie’s Town and Country, a column she wrote for the former Western Tiers community newspaper for 20 years, but she cites her daughters’ achievements: Karen’s admittance to the bar in 1990 and the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) awarded to her eldest daughter Merrilyn this year, as her proudest moments.

Some personal highlights include: winning Australia’s Fastest Knitter competition at Hobart in 1969, and the exhilaration she felt when most of the spectators were cheering her on. And The Yarns Artwork in Silk where “we got to meet so many new people who offered so many new skills.”

In May of this year Lexie says she was “totally surprised” when presented with Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellow Award for community service. “When Rotary President Gayle Plunkett started a speech describing the winner, I turned to Merrilyn and said ‘that sounds a bit like me.’”

Life hasn’t always been ‘a bed of roses for Lexie. She has endured her share of hardships, including the loss of her husband six years ago, but she remains upbeat, attributing this to the diverse range of friendships she has made, good humour and the habit of writing a list everyday to help stay on top of things!

Photo | Hayley Manning