A chance meeting with renowned ophthalmologist Fred Hollows in the 1970's was the impetus for Griffith woman Beryl Paul's decades of service to The Fred Hollows Foundation.
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The Foundation and the man who shaped it are synonymous with decades of not-for-profit work to enhance the eye-sight of those in need around the globe.
Mrs Paul's work has set her amongst an array of locals who have been nominated for Griffith's Citizen of the Year accolades,.
She said while Mr Hollows has been gone for over 30 years, his legacy lives on as a result of those committed to his cause.
"I met him once in Goodooga near Lightening Ridge, one of the areas where he was doing a lot of work with first nations people," she said.
"This was during an outing as part of a church group I was in. It was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
"I'll never forget his remark which was 'doing nothing is not an option." It's very difficult to describe what he was like - he was very direct and wasn't afraid to say things the way he saw them.
"That meeting began a passion to do everything I could for his organsation," Mrs Paul said.
To her, the importance of someone being able to see is potentially the difference between being able to provide for your family or not.
"It's one of the most important human senses and when it is diminish it has a huge impact, today more than ever," she said.
"I've made all sorts of crafts and knitting in private art groups which I've sold at markets to generate funds for The Foundation.
"For me, if I can help fund someone to have their eye-sight aided or even restored, that makes a remarkable difference.
"$50 might be little to the average person, but for someone else it could be the change of a life time."
While grateful for what she described as the unexpected nomination, what's important to her is not recognition for herself but The Foundation.
"I still can't believe that it's happened," she said.
"The focal thing for me is if it can give the charity some exposure, then that's a wonderful thing. Unfortunately I think it isn't as prominent as it used to be," she said.
"Most young people wouldn't know who Fred Hollows was and certainly not in the way that people from my generation knew him. So any exposure to bring he and The Foundation back to the fore is important."
Her husband, Richard, said he is extremely proud of his wife's nomination.
"She doesn't like publicity or attention but deserves it because she has been incredibly dedicated for a very long time," he said.