Locals know John Cavanagh as a man of many hats, and some will remember him as a former purveyor of various other items of clothing.
“I operated ‘John’s Menswear’ on Cunningham Street for 35 years,” said the affable gentleman, reminiscing about the roles he’s played throughout 63 years spent in Dalby raising a family with wife Margaret.
Think of a community organisation run in town and there’s a good chance John is or has been involved in its operation at some stage.
He might have served you at Rotary’s Australia Day breakfast-in-the-park, assisted your debut into society as organiser of the former Dalby Catholic Ball, delivered you a casserole as a Meals-On-Wheels volunteer or maybe even sold you a pair of trousers.
These days, as well as being an active patron of several other groups including the Eisteddfod Committee, Dalby Hospital Auxiliary and the Condamine Balonne Water Committee, John is keeping busy as the President of the Dalby Arts Council.
“I suppose I’m just one of those people,” he said of how he manages to spread his generosity so far and wide.
“I enjoy doing things, being active and helping to organise successful events.”
With such strong ties and extraordinary commitment to the community, you might wonder why John hasn’t run for office in local government.
“I never felt a need to run for Council,” he explained good-naturedly.
“Honestly, I didn’t have the time.”
Although he was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 1990 for his contribution to society, John believes that giving is more valuable than receiving and he encourages others to put their hand up.
“Volunteers are extremely important people within our community. Without them, half of our local organisations wouldn’t and couldn’t exist.”