Our very own Local Legend Rose Adler has been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list with a Medal of the Order of Australia, OAM.
The Times contacted Rose this morning after hearing the news.
She said, “They told me in March that I had been suggested for an award, but I didn’t know for sure until last Tuesday. I felt really honoured and a bit nervous.”
When Rose was asked which organisations she was involved in, she said, “Almost all of them, Hospital Auxiliary, the Church, CWA, View Club. I’m still in a daze really, and the Op-shop. It’s a real honour.”
Just some of Roses’ achievements are listed on the government website below. Read on for Roses’ Local Legend story which was published in the Times in 2014.
For service to the community of Murrumburrah-Harden.
Country Women’s Association of New South Wales
- Former Secretary and Vice-President, South West Group.
- Member, 28 years.
Murrumburrah-Harden District Hospital Auxiliary
- Treasurer and Member, since 1984.
Harden Evening View Club
- Member, 40 years.
St Paul’s Anglican Church, Murrumburrah
- Parish Councillor and Warden.
- Treasurer, Women’s Union.
- Volunteer, 30 years.
Harden Can Assist
- Volunteer.
Harden Meals on Wheels
- Former Volunteer.
Awards and recognition include:
- Citizen of the Year, Harden Shire Council, 1994.
Local Legend Rose Adler 2014
When Rose and her husband, Tom, returned to and retired in Harden-Murrumburrah, Rose said, ‘I was sitting at home feeling sorry for myself and he said, “You better get up and do something,” and so I did, and then he said, “You’re never home,” I said, “You’re the one that started it.’
That was back in 1983 and it has been to Harden-Murrumburrah’s great benefit that Rose indeed got up and did something. Rose volunteers that she is 87 years old – she has, therefore, been getting up and doing for Harden-Murrumburrah for over 3 decades.
As Rose puts it, keeping active keeps her young. In this writer’s opinion, the agility of Rose is such that she could easily pass for being a decade-plus younger than her physical age.
Rose is of English descent and 1 of 8 children. She was born in Brighton-Le-Sands, a suburb of Sydney. Her Mother worked at bringing up Rose and her siblings; Rose’s Father worked in the carpet industry and was a fisherman. She lived right near the beach and swam just about every day.
Tom came from Cullen Bullen, near Lithgow, but left for Sydney to escape the mines. In World War II, Tom served in Egypt, Ceylon and New Guinea during which Rose and Tom corresponded. On Tom’s return from theatres of war, they were married and produced 4 children: Lorraine, Carmel, Roma and Debbie.
With Lorraine and Carmel born in Sydney and Tom securing a job on the railways, a friend suggested Harden as a place in which Tom could continue with the railways, and as a place to live because Harden had houses available.
When Rose, Tom and family arrived in Harden, they found that there were no suitable, vacant houses and, for a while, they lived with friends. Being a Sydney girl, Rose had never before lived in the country and Harden-Murrumburrah was a real culture shock for her.
The first people Rose and Tom met in Harden were Lorna and Darcy Denny. When Rose was about to have their 3rd child, they thought Tom would have to return their first 2 children to Sydney to be minded during Rose’s confinement; Lorna offered to mind their children right here in Harden, and did so. Rose and Tom successively lived in Clarke, Binalong and Albury Streets.
Joan Barnes says that the night she was married, Rose went into labour and that Rose couldn’t get a taxi to hospital because they were already booked for Joan’s wedding.
In 1967, Tom volunteered to return to Sydney, due to the newly-instituted cutbacks and downsizing of the railways in Harden. This was because steam trains were on the way out and diesel-powered trains were becoming the new mode of transport.
Jobs lost were Fuel-men, Fitters, Boilermakers, Firemen and Roster Clerks – the consequence was that less rail workers were needed in Harden and so transfers had to be volunteered for or, after that, would be enforced.
Other railway families of the time similarly affected included the Bennetts, the McCormacks, the McClearys, the Carneys, the Langens and the Mays. Harden-Murrumburrah was very much detrimentally affected by these families having to relocate from the town.
In Sydney, Rose was successful in applying for a job in a Coles’ Delicatessen – on first presenting to her Supervisor, she was met with, “Have you had any experience?” “No,” said Rose. The Supervisor replied, “Well, you’re not much good to me, are you?” Rose said, “Oh well, I’ve worked in a shop before, I’ll give it a go.”
Rose worked for Coles for 15 years and ended up as Manager of that department store’s Food Hall, retiring in 1982.
When Rose and Tom returned to Harden-Murrumburrah, to begin with Rose “really hated it.” They had a caravan on the Central Coast (and family in Sydney) and Rose had expected that they would make use of their van in their retirement.
Rose’s return to Harden-Murrumburrah was the second time she “had no-one” in the town. Tom “got into the golf” as his major interest in retirement.
More than 30 years on from Tom’s immortal words, about Rose needing to get up and do something, Rose has been a member of the Hospital Auxiliary for 30 years, Treasurer of the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Union for 30 years, Secretary/Treasurer of the CWA for 23 years, a Member of the View Club Committee for 25 years and involved in Can Assist and Meals On Wheels.
Rose says she has only Saturdays left for a quick clean through her house, but that all of her activities are good for one’s mental and physical health.
Rose has 9 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren (including 2 sets of girl twins). She has 2 grandsons in the Navy and currently deployed at sea: Isaac, on HMAS Darwin, and Matthew, on HMAS Success. Rose is rightly proud that her grandsons are actively serving in the defence of Australia.
Rose is expert in knitting and crocheting, as indeed can be seen in the many examples of her handiwork now spread throughout the district of Harden-Murrumburrah and beyond.
Rose likes to read books that are light/not too heavy, but (due to her volunteering commitments) currently has time to read only in bed at night. Her favourite film is Gone With The Wind, ironically a story about a self-obsessed young heiress.
Rose likes all types of music, except “highbrow” and enjoys going on bus trips, organised by Nic Nadycz, to shows as far away as Sydney. Rose enjoys all kinds of food and especially going out to lunch with friends. Her choice of actor for playing her character in a feature film on her life would be Meryl Streep.
3 people with whom she would like to have dinner are Julia Roberts, Clint Eastwood and George Clooney. Rose is afraid of spiders, and hates snakes. If she won Lotto the first thing she would do is share it with her children.
When asked for something that nobody knows about her, Rose replied, “I think they know everything about me.” As for anything that embarrasses her, Rose doesn’t like to be made a fool of. She says that she is a good talker. Rose would never throw away wartime letters Tom wrote to her.
An obviously modest person, Rose’s proudest moment is when she was awarded Harden-Murrumburrah’s Citizen of the Year for her outstanding contribution to the community, in 1994. Rose was also presented with the Paul Harris Fellowship by the local Rotary Club.
As for Harden-Murrumburrah’s future, Rose would like to see all of the shops open and a lot of work for the town’s young people. She believes that we are lucky to have such great facilities for the Aged in our town.
Rose sees the bad thing about the town being that “all of the industries have gone.” She sees the good thing being “the people in Harden,” and their being very, very generous in their preparedness to support local fundraising causes. Rose says, “You have to look after the things that are local … money that’s staying in the town.”
Rose, thank you for all of the work you have done for
Harden-Murrumburrah; the town is a far, far better place for your volunteer service to it. Thank you also of course to Tom for his suggestion to you that you “do something”. If only that Coles Deli Supervisor could see you now.
Rose and her husband Tom.
Rose and Tom with their daughters.
Roses’ 2 grandsons in the Navy and currently deployed at sea: Isaac, on HMAS Darwin, and Matthew, on HMAS Success. Rose is rightly proud that her grandsons are actively serving in the defence of Australia.
Rose Adler Local Legend Story 2014 extract.
