By JESSE GRAHAM
COLDSTREAM residents braved a cold and drizzly Saturday morning to commemorate the life of town icon, Val Sheehan, with a memorial plaque unveiled in Margaret Lewis Reserve.
On Saturday 2 April, about 60 people gathered in the reserve for the unveiling of a memorial plaque for Val Sheehan, who died on 27 March 2015, after more than 70 years in the town.
The plaque, organised by the Friends of Margaret Lewis Reserve, reads, “In loving memory of Val Sheehan, for her generous contribution to this reserve and the local community”.
“Her legacy lives on in many ways, especially in her recording of the rich history of the Yarra Valley,” it read.
Morris Maxwell opened the event, which was attended by Casey MP Tony Smith, and Ryrie Ward councillor, Fiona McAllister, and paid tribute to her work over the years, to improve the reserve, record local history and even in helping to establish the reserve itself.
“We all know that Val didn’t want any fuss made, and she never wanted me to call her our local historian, but she did that so well she needs recognition,” Mr Maxwell said.
Mr Maxwell, Cr McAllister, Val’s brother, Les Skate, and Lilydale and District Historical Society’s John Brown all paid tribute to Ms Sheehan’s passion for her community in her time, after arriving in town in 1943.
Cr McAllister said that the plaque, set in stone by a walking path, had been organised over the past year, and said it was a “really important and beautiful memorial” for Ms Sheehan.
“Today, for me, is a very beautiful moment to say thank you to Val, and to say thank you to her family, and also to know that every time someone walks past this, if they didn’t know Val, they’ll certainly be wondering who this wonderful woman was,” she said.
“If they did know Val, they’ll stop for a moment and pause, and like most of us here, remember a moment they’ve spent with Val and know what a wonderful experience that was.”
Mr Skate told the audience about growing up with Ms Sheehan, and how the land around the reserve had changed over the years – he noted that she worked for Margaret Lewis herself, and had influence in the land being bequeathed for a reserve.
She helped to plant trees around the reserve, and she and Mr Skate worked to establish the Coldstream and Yering War Memorial in 1995.
“You can see why she wanted to put so much into it (Margaret Lewis Reserve), to make sure it was a success – and it certainly has turned out to be a great success, and she would be very proud of it,” he said.
“I’m pretty proud of Val, too, and so is the family.”
