Tribute to Helen Wallace
Mr ALISTER HENSKENS ( Ku-ring-gai ) ( 16:25 :33 ): Today I speak about a Wahroonga resident to whom many owe a large debt of gratitude.Born and raised in New Zealand, Helen Wallace trained as a nurse before moving to Sydney in 1967 and working at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.She subsequently worked in aged care nursing until 1989 and then in Hornsby day surgery until 1996.Between 1996 and 2004 Helen made no fewer than nine two-week, self-funded trips to Nepal as a volunteer member of a plastic surgery team that was coordinated by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.It is a testament to Helen's courage and dedication that she kept going back. In 2002 Maoist rebels twice bombed the clinic where she was working as well as the team's accommodation.After concluding her work in Nepal, Helen then spent seven years as a volunteer guide at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.This was a familiar environment to Helen, as she had served on the Conservatorium High School Parents and Citizens Association between 1983 and 1992 while her daughters were in attendance. Last year Helen received a Lions Community Service Award for her services to humanitarian aid.