Mr Joyce has been volunteering since 1982, and Thursday afternoon the Senior Citizens Committee awarded him a life membership. 

Mr Joyce has played a role in the club’s activities ever since he joined. 

“I used to run the cards Tuesday and Saturday and I used to move all the money and deal all the profits out and give all the money to the treasurer,” said Mr Joyce.

Now Mr Joyce runs the bingo on Friday mornings and the other members say he is an indispensable part of the club, helping to set up and organise events throughout the year and helping out wherever he can.

That was part of why the committee decided to award him the membership. However, they decided to make it a complete surprise.

“We kept it from everyone because he’s got marvelous hearing,” said committee president Marlene Domaschenz. 

Ararat Rural City Council representative Gwenda Allgood said the feat of keeping a secret from Mr Joyce was achieved only by deception.

The committee members had to tell him the reason he needed to dress up for this particular club meeting was that his sister was visiting to deliver a talk.

His sister, Rosie Joyce, is a nun with the Catholic church and spoke about economic well being for the elderly.

But then Mr Joyce’s life membership was announced.

“It was an absolute surprise. The idea was that he came to hear his sister speak – that was the trap,” Cr Allgood said.

Mrs Domaschenz said she “didn’t think we’d ever put this thing over him but we did.”

Both Mrs Domaschenz and Cr Allgood said that Mr Joyce, who is already a quiet man, was even quieter when he realised the true purpose of the gathering.

Cr Allgood also said he was extremely deserving.

“He is committed, he is reliable, he is dependable, truthful, loyal, and has been extremely helpful to the whole club for all those years,” she said.

“As the years have gone by and the members have gotten older and older, John’s taken on more roles. Some of the work here (that he does) to actually set up the dances and bring everything else is a very big commitment.”

Mrs Domaschenz said that Mr Joyce was so dependable that if he was even a minute late, people got worried. She recounted a particular incident that had her panicking. 

“If anyone else is late you think ‘oh, they’re late’, but if John is late something’s wrong,” she said. 

She rang around to track him down and it turned out that he had spent 20 minutes circling the centre looking for a parking spot. 

“He really is one of the most dependable people,” she said.