The former long term Merriwa woman has been recognised for her relentless volunteer work and community passion, as she has left a strong legacy on the local community of the west.

Although Mrs Mulcahy no longer lives in Merriwa due to being a resident of Carinity Aged Care - Karinya at Laidley since 2007, her commitment to the community will never be forgotten.

Together, Mrs Mulcahy and her husband Tom raised their three children and operated a rural property, however the rural woman was still one of the most well known ladies in town as she was often seen organising an event or fundraising for one of the community organisations. 

And Mr Mulcahy was no exception, as he was also a very active community volunteer as well.  

An Order of Australia Medal (OAM) recipient, Mrs Mulcahy contributed extensively to the Merriwa community for more than 30 years with her passion for health care and experience as a registered nurse motivating a large part of her work. 

Throughout the years, Mrs Mulcahy was on the executive committee or a member of more than 10 community organisations, including the United Hospital Auxiliaries of NSW Merriwa branch, the Merriwa Catholic Church Finance Committee, Merr-iwa Aged Hostel Comm-ittee, Merriwa Springtime Show Committee and the Merriwa Main Street Enhancement Committee. 

Some of the pinnacle inputs she made were establishing the very valuable Merriwa Non-Emergency Medical Transport Group and co-initiating the Gummun Place Retirement Village. 

Mr Mulcahy said their marriage of 51 years was always based on both of them volunteering for their community.

“If we didn’t volunteer for something, generally people would come and ask if one of us could take on something else.

“We are both community minded people and we have passed this onto our children,” Mr Mulcahy said. 

“She is so deserving of this award and I’m extremely proud of her.”

After receiving her great honour last month, Mrs Mulcahy said she didn’t expect the award at all as she has simply always enjoyed helping others and she feels other people out there are more deserving than she is. 

Mrs Mulcahy was nominated by a close family friend, Reg Hinchey who was formerly a constable in Merriwa, followed by being a chief superintendent in Western Sydney before retiring from the force. 

Upper Hunter Shire councillor and fellow community volunteer Deirdre Peebles said Mrs Mulcahy was involved in a lot of different activities in the local area from the hospital auxiliary to maintaining the gardens in the main street.

“She is definitely worthy of the award and commendations, and her family are very proud which they naturally should be,” she said.