Dorothy Armstrong’s warm and welcoming voice resonating down the phone line speaks volumes before she begins to tell her story.
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That warmth, the sense of fun, and heartbreak too – it’s all there the minute our conversation begins.
She instantly creates a sense of, well, feeling right at home, even though we’ve never met.
Hers is clearly a life lived to the full.
Religion, love, family and a varied life, much of which has included extending a caring and understanding hand to those in need, are at the fore.
And there’s a sprinkle of an endearing cheekiness thrown in for good measure.
The Horsham resident - a self-described “talker and carer” – says hugging is her thing “and just loving people”.
And she can tell by the atmosphere in a room when someone is in need of a bit of love.
Mrs Armstrong was born in Goroke, but moved to Horsham from the small farming community of Carnak in the 1970s.
She has been involved with the Salvation Army in Horsham ever since, and so it seems that is where this colourful and fascinating life story begins for this article.
Mrs Armstrong said she began work at the old Horsham hospital as an on-call domestic – a cleaner, attending to the job when needed.
However, she has also led tour coaches and worked with in-store demonstrations in supermarkets across Victoria and even one in Darwin.
She earned the name Aunty Dot through baking yummy bikkies for the cast and crew of 18 Horsham Arts Council shows.
Volunteering to launder clothes for in-patients at the Horsham hospital was another challenge she tackled with gusto, at one point she was washing for eight and at that point requested use of a hospital washing machine to avoid use of excess home water and electricity.
You might be surprised at the number of people who had no one else to wash their clothes for them while ill, she said.
“I loved helping,” she said, a comment that may well just sum up Mrs Armstrong’s approach to life.
“And I’ve struck some funny people.” (There’s that glimmer of cheekiness referred to earlier.)
On the home front, Mrs Armstrong devoted herself to caring for her husband John, known as Jack, who passed away in January just one day short of their 63rd wedding anniversary and Mrs Armstrong’s 84th birthday, and their “three beautiful children” Peter (PJ), Ian (Charlie) and daughter Glenny.
Then there’s the Teddy Ministry.
Mrs Armstrong’s work sourcing, then carefully mending and washing recycled donated bears for those who needed them over many years begs the question of just how many bears out there were handed out with her love for others. It must be hundreds, if not thousands.
It began one day when four brand new teddies arrived at the Salvation Army op-shop. Mrs Armstrong asked if she could take them to the hospital for children who came in following an accident and needed something to hug.
Those four bears never made it to the children’s ward – the first one going to an elderly lady, who accepted it into her folded arms, bringing tears of joy to Mrs Armstrong and a nurse.
And so began the ministry.
Mrs Armstrong continued handing out bears at Horsham hospital, and several hospitals in outlying towns, until about 12 months ago.
She lovingly refers to her good friend Irene – they used to journey to those smaller hospitals together.
“She was very special,” Mrs Armstrong said.
“We used to have an absolute ball.”
Mrs Armstrong also enlisted the assistance of many smaller, keen helping hands to mend all those bears at quite a few Horsham schools, including the local Lutheran school where grade 2 children keenly sewed the eyes back on pre-loved bears and learnt the value in recycling at the same time.
She still visits some of those smaller hospitals once a year, just before Christmas, to spread the teddy bear love and while her love of God is evident she said she “never forced religion on anyone”.
Teddies weren’t just for children in hospital, they were gifted “to anyone and everyone” who needed or wanted one.
Mrs Armstrong misses her husband terribly.
Eight days before he died, and with the assistance of their daughter, Jack presented his wife with an emerald ring, and while slipping it onto her finger, expressed his thanks for her love, devotion and care for him during their life together.
It’s a ring that clearly means the world to her now, something to treasure along with her memories of their life together.
But Mrs Armstrong also wants to get across how much she values the ongoing support of those in the community who have offered their care since Jack’s passing, some of those she refers to as her “adopted sons”.
“I want to say how blessed I’ve been since my husband’s passing by extending thanks to Wayne, Greg, Alan and Aileen, Col” and others near her home who have offered their help.
“I’ve had a wonderful life,” she said.
“I’m so blessed by so many people, I’m a very lucky old chook.”
Author’s note: I am very much looking forward to that coffee date together, Dorothy.