Sr Cecelia celebrated her 60 years of service alongside friends and colleagues at a surprise presentation at Calvary Cessnock Retirement Community. The celebration recognised her commitment to serving her local community.

Sr Cecelia is part of the congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph Lochinvar who, since arriving in 1883, have established schools and pastoral ministries throughout the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

In 2009 Sr Cecelia was awarded for her work with the hearing impaired with an Order of Australia Medal. When she was 23 she suffered from tonsillectomy and went totally deaf in her right ear. She reached out to Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH) who supported her and enabled her to help others. Sr Cecelia volunteered at SHHH Turramurra Resource Centre for almost 20 years and was secretary of the Hunter group for 11 years.

In 2009 Sr Cecelia also started volunteering at Calvary Cessnock and has become an integral part of the team. Calvary Cessnock Volunteer Coordinator Therese Fitzgibbon said “Cecelia shares not only her skills and knowledge in relation to hearing loss and the care and maintenance of hearing aids and devices, but more importantly she shares her passion, drive and commitment to assisting residents with hearing loss and improving their quality of life”.