EAST Gippsland’s Brenda Murray may have lost most of her sight, but the setback has not shifted her focus from her lifelong vision.
The energetic 87-year-old has been legally blind for more than 10 years, but her enthusiasm for staying healthy and maintaining a philosophy of trying to make the world a better place remains undimmed.
Brenda was one of eight people who received a Vision Australia Award at the organisation’s annual general meeting in October.
The awards have been issued annually since 2006 to honour people who have helped make a difference to the lives of the organisation’s clients.
Brenda, who was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1985, served as a local government councillor for 22 years and as the first mayor of East Gippsland in 1990.
She lost most of her sight fairly quickly about 10 years ago as a result of macular degeneration and a condition called retinopathy.
This meant a major life adjustment. She lost the ability to play classical piano because she could no longer read sheet music and felt she fell further “behind the eight-ball” in terms of keeping up with technology.
But Brenda was determined to put a positive spin on her situation.
She said in the initial stages, her husband Keith – who she now visits several times each day as he lives with advanced dementia – had been a much-needed means of support.
“My husband just said, ‘We’re in this together and it’s not going to make a difference’,” she said.
Keith’s support and optimism, combined with an upbringing that raised her to be positive and to try to do what she could to help others, helped Brenda throw herself into life as a legally blind woman with gusto.
“It introduced me to a new world. It taught me about what people with disabilities needed to do (to maintain their lifestyles),” she said.
“People were looking after themselves, living independently, taking part in sports that could be adapted.”
Brenda continued to lead an active lifestyle and has represented Victoria and Australia on behalf of the Blind Bowls Association.
In her 10 years as a client, she has also been an active member of Vision Australia’s client reference group, with a particular emphasis on helping seniors.
And in recent times, she campaigned for a new Vision Australia office in Bairnsdale, which opened in August.
The centre has greatly improved access for people in remote parts of the district – the nearest centre was previously in Warragul, 300km away.
Brenda is also involved in a campaign to make audio description captioning widely available on Australian television, as they are in the UK, the US, Canada and New Zealand.
Brenda said her role was mostly about advocacy and letting seniors with vision impairments know about the services available to them such as talking books, taxi discount cards and other aids and concessions
“We are still not reaching them all,” she said. “I’d like to urge any senior who has a significant vision impairment to make contact with Vision Australia and they will put you in touch with the nearest office.”
“Older people have a wealth of knowledge they can pass on, but only if they are included in society.”
- Vision Australia: 1300-847-466.
