JOY BERYL NOBLE (1925-2020)
By David Mitchell AM President, Trees For Life 2000-2018
Mavis Reynolds OAM (left) and Joy Noble AM (right), co-founders Volunteering SA & NT 35th anniversary at Government House 2017. Photo by Volunteeting SA & NT.
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ith the death of Joy Noble we have lost one of our greatest volunteering advocates and champions. Founding Volunteering SA in 1982, Joy developed many of the principles and practices of volunteering employed today. Quiet, but with a fierce determination, Joy was a true pioneering champion. In 2002, her services to the volunteer movement were justly rewarded with an AM. I first met Joy in the early 1970's when she was appointed regional director in the newly created Department for Community Welfare, becoming one of the most senior women in the state public service. No big deal for her however, since, rather than personal achievement, Joy was more about improving quality of life for those in need and for the general community. 12
I reconnected with Joy many years later as a volunteer and member of government committees. Her focus was still the same and her passion for volunteering inspirational. She became a member of Trees For Life in 1991, and remained a great moral and financial supporter of the organisation until her death. Her advice and wise counsel over many years was greatly valued and in 2009, I was privileged to be awarded the Joy Noble Medal for volunteering.Â ď†Œ
RIP Joy Noble
