DONNYBROOK-Bridgetown Mail’s Boyanup journalist Tess Leedham sadly passed away on Wednesday February 3, after a long battle with cancer.
Born on July 23 1946, Tess’s passing came just five months shy of her 70th birthday.
A dedicated volunteer, she played many roles in her local and surrounding communities, as well as being a dedicated reporter with a passion for promoting Boyanup and a keen interest in agriculture.
Perhaps her biggest passion was for the Lions Club International, an organisation in which Tess was a very influential member at both state and national levels.
She joined the Lions Club of Parkerville in 1988 as a chartered member, and became its treasurer. She held all positions at the club levels many times, and became a member of five different Lions Clubs over 28 years. She had been a member of Lions Club Donnybrook for about 15 years.
Her journalistic skills first showed from 1991-2, when she wrote the Lions District Magazine. She went onto the national committee, representing the WA Lions as state coordinator on the Australian Lions Christmas Cake committee from 1996-99. She also played a major role in the chartering of the Lions Club of Balingup, in which she was the Guiding Lion.
At the time of her passing she was the WA trustee and secretary of the West Australian Lions Children’s Mobility Foundation (WALCMF) and representing WA Lions as a trustee on Australian Lions Children’s Mobility Foundation.
Tess was recently presented with an ALCMF Gold Award for her dedication and commitment to the children of Western Australia. An ALCMF spokesperson said on social media that her tireless efforts had given many children the joy of walking and had raised the profile of the ALCMF in WA.
She played a big role in Business and Professional Women in Donnybrook (BPW), after starting out in that organisation in the Darling Ranges. In Perth, she held the office of the Australian National Secretary of the BPW.
Locally, Tess played a big role in the Boyanup Anglican Church as a licensed lay minster. She was also involved in Donnybrook Boy Scouts, and was the driving force behind keeping the Boyanup Op Shop going.
She was a farmer’s wife who loved animals and used to rear orphaned kangaroos.
Tess will be missed by everyone who knew her.
