January 27, 2025
Well-known Goomeri resident Phyllis Hopf was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the national Australia Day Honours announced on Sunday.
Phyllis, 89, was recognised for her service to the community of Goomeri.
This is only the latest in a string of acknowledgments that she has received over the years.
In 2021, Phyllis’s volunteer work was recognised locally with the official naming of the show arena at Goomeri Showgrounds in her honour.
And later that year, she was made a Life Member of the Goomeri Show Society.
In 2023, Phyllis – who has been nicknamed the “Mayor of Goomeri” – was honoured by Gympie Regional Council as one of its two Senior Citizens of the Year.
She was the cornerstone of the Goomeri Pumpkin Festival for many years, helping it to grow into one of the most popular town festivals in south-east Queensland.
Proving her “pumpkin pride”, in 2020, Phyllis presented the town with a 500kg pumpkin statue made of stone.
However, in some circles, Phyllis is better known for her connection to horses rather than pumpkins.
Last year, she received a Distinguished Service Award from the Arabian Horse Society of Australia for her decades of work with the breed.
Phyllis also has been involved over the years with the Goomeri RSL Sub-Branch, SES, Anglican Ladies Guild, Garden Club and Goomeri Hall Of Memory committee.
