Alexis Helen FITZGERALD, Esk, Qld. For service to the community of Esk, particularly through choir and music.
Is it just
me, or does the name "Alexis Helen FITZGERALD, Esk Qld", appear more
outstanding than any other name on page 21 of the Courier Mail's Queen's Birthday Honours List for 2013? There is, however, nothing imagined nor more
outstanding than the merits of this honour to a person who, for well over the
35 years of her Choir's existence, has with the greatest generosity and
humility, given the gifts of her time, energy and talents to her Community and
her Choir and in doing so, injected a culture of Music and Musical appreciation
into a small town in the Somerset Region, the ripples of which now go well
beyond.
Through Alexis's
skills in the art of singing teaching and the training of Choristers, she
has continuously raised the performance
standards of her Choir. From its humble
beginnings of 6 ladies around a piano in her living room, it has become a Choir
the size and musical quality of which sees them no longer regarded simply as a
local choir in a Country town, but a Choir of note and in demand for
performances in Towns and Cities well beyond their hometown of Esk.
Today, having seen
a passing parade of well over a hundred Choristers in and out of the district
over the past 35 years, the Choir, continuously having been under Alexis's
Musical Direction, now numbers over 50 members.
These voices, all un-auditioned, belong to members who are welcomed,
respected and valued as part of the Choir group where, through Alexis's encouragement,
they have found an inexpensive source of fun and fellowship and a realization
of the therapeutic benefits that singing in a Choir can bring.
An extensive list
of Alexis's amazing Musical achievements can be evidenced by taking a wander
through the Choir's "Photo Gallery" on this website but her impact
has to do with so much more than these.
Daily Alexis lives her Choir's Motto "Service in Song" and
rarely does she, on behalf of her Choir, turn aside an invitation to perform at
morning teas, weddings, funerals, celebrations, Homes for the Aged, or any manner of special occasion, no matter
the distances required to travel nor the availability of numbers. She is continually seeking golden moments for
her Choir members and audiences to experience music in all its forms. The opportunities she has created for the
children of the Community to participate musically are evident in the successes
of her latest performance group of 5 to 10 years olds, "The
Semitones", who are little stars beginning to shine in their own right.
The biennial event, the Amateur Classical and Jazz Music Awards, is of her
instigation as is the creation of a monetary bursary to be presented to exceptionally
talented music students to allow them a helping hand into potential musical
careers.
To provide a
detailed narration of Alexis FitzGerald's 45 year's achievements, her selfless
dedication to and cultural benefits created for this Community would require no
less than a substantial biography. The
passion she has for Music and for this Choir and her little acts of compassion
for people, have all become a very large part of the Storybook of her
Life. Unlike Alexis, few of us have
dreams which, when realized, have done and will continue to transform the lives
of so many. From her Choir who, because
of the pleasure of being under her Direction, often forget that singing
properly is supposed to involve a degree of hard work and not a whole lot of
fun, this award to her of this Medal (OAM) in the Order of Australia, one of
Australia's highest honours, could not have gone to someone more deserving of
this recognition and as a Community we are mighty proud!
by Susan Walker
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