Victorian Senior of the Year 2022 (Promotion of Multiculturalism) Award to Marie Pietersz from Camberwell Nominated by: Dilrukshie Perera, President, Australia South Asia Society By Marie Pietersz
The Award ceremony was held at Government House on 26 October 2022 and officiated by the Governor, Hon Linda Dessau, AO, and the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Hon Colin Brooks, MP.
“Marie volunteers in many sectors of the wider community with her all-round skills as a dance teacher, writer, English tutor and editorial consultant. This amazing lady contributes so many unpaid hours and spreads her volunteering capacity across many community sectors and age groups,” says Dilkie Perera, nominator and President of the Australia South Asia Society.
Marie migrated from Sri Lanka in 1972 and was successful in obtaining many significant roles during her State Government career. Coming from a background of limited opportunity, she was grateful and readily accepted the many chances she had of learning new skills, always giving back to the community her knowledge and experience to benefit others less fortunate than her. This mentality kept her going through her busy life in Melbourne raising a family and being a working mother and wife while in a very competitive career as it was for migrants in the 1970s, and still finding time to study and gain qualifications as a mature age student. She trained and qualified as an English tutor, a professional editor and a journalist.
Marie is passionate about the ability of music and dance to keep people in the community of all ages engaged in fun and movement and socialising, while learning lifelong skills. Marie believes music is motivational for the spirit and group dancing removes the loneliness. One of the first steps she took in this direction was to teach line dancing at the U3A Nunawading, which she has been doing for over 15 years, and pioneered line dancing as a class at U3A Nunawading, sacrificing a day off from full-time work each week to be able to do this prior to retirement. Her class waiting time was up to three years when she started and today this organisation of 2,000 members runs four separate line dancing classes, with others inspired by her leadership to do the same, and this dance class has now been introduced into all branches of the U3A in Victoria.
Since retiring in 2016, she has worked more extensively with seniors and older seniors in our communities in various settings, teaching migrants from different ethnic backgrounds the art of western dancing, taking them from absolute beginners to confident performers at local events. She uses theme days in her dance classes to introduce Australian traditions such as Footy Colours Day, Chinese New Year, Mother’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Father’s Day, Melbourne Cup Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTfKhEr6LuE, and
Christmas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gft7AKNeMTw
to create awareness and integration. Her classes had, and still has, a waiting list because there are many migrants who have no dancing partners and feel uncomfortable attending a gym on their own.
She works tirelessly to bring hope, happiness and engagement to older Victorian seniors, never refusing the opportunity to dance for them on their “theme” days as she has done so with very many residential care communities at their facilities as well as in other community spaces, and is still doing so. “If they can’t come to us, we can go to them,” is her motto.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk0vBzJ-Ey8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6tiaeJWe28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeMCVuZlV7g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6tiaeJWe28&t=46s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRpz4Elc_64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHgWYJlgBIY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFJr9hziqys&t=67s
Marie and her dance troupe are well known for their voluntary demonstrations and regular performances from centre stage at the Victorian Seniors’ Festival in Federation Square https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4KvbJoy5v8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvpfKOp1bho
to the inner eastern suburb of Camberwell to the outer eastern suburbs of Box Hill, Forest Hill, Nunawading and Vermont South, and even further afield to the south-eastern suburbs of Keysborough, Clayton and Dandenong. Marie is a regular performer at the annual Whitehorse Spring Festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceWhAEGVuWI, Box Hill Global Fiesta, Harmony Day and at special country and western nights for various charities, schools, and fundraisers.
Marie has been an ambassador for the Victorian Seniors’ Festival and one of the faces for the festival in 2019 and again in 2020. With the Seniors Festival going online like so many other events, Marie saw a way to contribute by participating with her dance troupe in the Seniors Festival 2020 Reimagined, boot scooting their way into people’s homes to brighten their day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsYXGdnEWRwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsYXGdnEWRw
In the two years spent apart and online during COVID, Marie has been busy gearing up her online tech skills and writing dance choreographies using music with lyrics which reflect kindness and encouragement to those feeling the isolation, such as Hand to Hold, Stop the World, and Moving On Out. She also started her own online dance classes and extended these classes to live streaming. She held classes for isolated senior members of the University of the Third Age, anybody in the community who wanted to join and keep up their fitness online, and for the South Migrant Refugee Centre members teaching new skills not only in western dancing and online, but using the computer to be able to participate. “What I love most is seeing how the older people get up and try so enthusiastically to master the steps and the technology,” Marie says.
Her online classes have proved to be very popular and Marie continued them post-COVID lockdown in addition to her in-person classes. “We’ve got to admit it, in these difficult times of isolation, Victorians, and indeed people around the world, are missing out on their social interaction, and with it the collateral damage of reduction in activity and mental stimulation.”
As soon as COVID restrictions allowed, Marie was back in the community encouraging seniors and mature dancers to reconnect, reinvigorate and reactivate after the long period of forced isolation from regular group exercise. “If you want to dance your way to fitness again, age is no barrier, I am able to get you started; or if you are already a dancer, then I will help to keep you in the ‘groove’ with beautiful dances and music, specially chosen for you,” Marie says, with sincerity and passion. “New and absolute beginners are welcome and are able to access my free classes to get started. There are many levels of classes and times to choose from and there would be a class close to you.”
Marie is a ballroom medallist, but uses line dancing in community settings because of its versatility and health benefits, and during COVID, its physical distancing. “Line dancing is just another way of keeping fit, with a low-impact, cardio exercise regime performed to music, suitable for all ages. I encourage schools and gyms to include it in their fitness programs as it doesn’t require a partner and is great for learning rhythm, physical and mental stimulation,” said Marie. It is not just the stereotypical dance perceived for older adults with mobility limitations, but a popular form of exercise that can be modified for those with mobility limitations to provide a wide range of benefits to all participants.
Marie has also spent many years tutoring students in English (from non-English speaking backgrounds) for their scholarship examinations to selective schools and setting exam papers for the English coaching colleges of EdEx and Bharathi Academy in Burwood and Hallam run by Sri Lankan Australians. The high success rate she had with exam results meant that these students were accepted into schools which otherwise they would not have been able to afford to attend and they have rewarded her with excellent results through to their VCE and tertiary education.
She generously shares her skills in supporting many organisations. When Editors Victoria (branch of IPEd, professional association for Australian and New Zealand editors with around 1,500 members) asked her to provide vital practical and administrative support as a member of its committee, she took on the unpaid role of Events Officer, organising events to assist with upskilling and professional development of its members. During the COVID lockdown, when no face-to-face events were possible, she used her creativity and enthusiasm and the long reach of technology to bring national and international speakers into the loungerooms of editors and writers not only as part of training but to create a sense of togetherness and opportunity meet their “edi-buddies” in virtual lounges at a time of isolation, resulting in record attendances.
“Marie responded to a call to volunteer as media officer for my many annual South Asian cultural pageants, to give first, second and even third generation Australian youth with South-Asian heritage a platform to develop their skills, become community leaders and integrate into the Australian community. Marie volunteers her journalism skills in marketing my programs. Marketing is important to attract participants to the opportunity these pageants present and Marie uses various mediums to communicate to the relevant communities of Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan through community newspapers of Easterly News, ELanka online news, Serendib News and various local newspapers,” said Dilkie.
Marie is currently a voluntary member of the Committee of Management of the Ashburton Community Centre and was past President of the Vermont South Learning Centre for three years.
She is also an active member of the Victorian Line Dancing Association and Editors Victoria. Other memberships include the Anglo-Indian Australasian Association of Victoria and the Burgher Association (Australia) set up for the largest Sri Lankan Burgher community in the world.
Marie is passionate about her role and responsibility to the community and generous with her assistance to others despite her added responsibilities of helping her family raise her six grandchildren and running a freelance editorial consultancy. “How we age must change—60 is the new 40. Being active, physically and mentally is crucial. Age is just a number; it does not define who we are,” Marie says.
In nominating Marie for the Senior of the Year 2022 Award, Dilkie said, “I commend this active, dedicated and caring senior for a well-earned and deserving award in acknowledgement of her long and tireless voluntary work using her talents in many sectors of the community and age groups. A migrant herself, she is an inspiring role model for other migrants and seniors with her example of selflessness and willingness to give others hope, happiness and confidence to never stop learning, and for bringing on board those who may be holding back from enjoying being active participants in the many life and community opportunities available in Australia.”
