TODAY, like he has on every Australia Day for decades, retired local dairy farmer Don Miller, 83, will be helping with the Cowaramup community breakfast.
Mr Miller was chief organiser and chairman of the committee responsible for putting on Cowaramup's Australia Day community breakfast for 21 years.
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These days his legs are not as nimble as they once were, according to son Peter, and he uses a walking stick or frame to get about, so today he will leave the cooking and serving of Cowaramup's community breakfast to others, but help out where he can.
He will be especially proud when granddaughter Jasmine Miller, 12, sings the national anthem for the first time at today's breakfast.
But this year's community breakfast will be significant for another reason.
Alexander Donald Miller - he does not use his first name - was named in the Australia Day Honours and the community breakfast in part will be a celebration and thank you for his contributions to the local community across a lifetime living and working in Cowaramup.
He has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the Cowaramup community.
Mr Miller is one of 1047 outstanding and inspirational Australians named in the Australia Day Honours for their contributions in various ways.
Six were awarded as 'primary producers', but none were among the 44 Western Australians honoured with Australia Day awards.
Like Mr Miller, most of the WA award recipients were contributors to their communities.
Mr Miller's parents bought a bush block on Wirring Road in the struggling group settlement of Cowaramup in 1932, in the middle of the Great Depression.
With determination, hard work and draught horses, they felled trees, grubbed stumps, from local timber built a house that still stands and began milking cows.
Second son in a family of five children, Don Miller was born eight years later.
He grew up milking cows and feeding pigs and, with older brother Bob, often had to run from their chores to catch the school bus into Cowaramup where the small school served as both primary and secondary school.
In those days Cowaramup was a big dairying area, with most farms running cows and pigs.
Cream was separated by hand, poured into churns with the producer's name on them, then collected, taken to the local station and sent by train to Perth.
The leftover skim milk was fed to the pigs.
Don Miller completed years 11 and 12 of his education in the mid 1950s at the Denmark Agricultural School before returning to the farm.
When his father died suddenly from a heart attack at 54 years of age, Don Miller - then aged 22 - and older brother Bob split the family farm between them and continued farming.
After more than 40 years running the dairy farm Don Miller passed it on to son Paul in the mid 2000s and, still living on the property with wife 'Dossy' (Dorothy) supported the start up in 2010 of Miller's Ice Cream.
Peter Miller, who put together the information submitted for Don Miller's OAM, said the family could not remember a time when their father was not involved in some community project or other.
"If he wasn't organising it as his pet project, then he was certainly involved helping out somewhere," Peter said.
As a 1985 charter member of the Lions Club of Cowaramup and an office bearer in most positions, including president 1991-92, a life member of the Cowaramup Social Club, a foundation member of Cowaramup's Men's Shed, a Cowaramup Hall and Reserves Committee member for 20 years, plus involvement with Cowaramup Junior Farmers and the local football club, Don Miller's list of contributions is extensive.
He was Cowaramup's Colin Duggan Citizen of the Year in 2012.
"I can remember dad taking trailer loads of rocks that were blasted from uncle Bob's farm next door, down to the recreation reserve when they were landscaping the surrounds of the oval and building the facilities there," Peter said.
"If he wasn't directly involved in working on a project, then he would supply rocks or sand or something else for it," he said.
The creation of Pioneer Park in Cowaramup from a snake-infested swamp in the middle of town was another of his father's projects, Peter said.
In the process of clearing the swamp Lions Club members discovered and restored a well dating from the 1880s that had been used by early travellers then lost.
He was also the driving force behind a recreation of the Cowaramup railway siding.
"For years he looked after a sign at the entrance to town that promoted local events and what was happening," Peter said.
"He only had a certain number of letters he could use so I used to be amazed at his scribblings when he was trying to work out what he wanted to say.
"His best was when Don Bradman died.
"He put up 'Bradman out 91, Rest In Peace' which I thought was pretty good.
"His philosophy was always that people should pitch in when they could.
"I think it came from his upbringing on a farm in the bush - farmers in those days helped each other and they shared equipment.
"If something needed doing, the community jumped in and did it - you didn't wait for the local council, the State government or somebody else to do it for you.
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"In fact, dad used to complain that rather than not do anything, the local council with its 'red tape' used to hold up projects the community wanted to do.
"'Why don't they just get out of the way and let us get on with it', he used to say, with some swear words thrown in - he used to swear at the cows a lot."
Cowaramup - or 'Cow Town' to those who cannot pronounce its name - is renowned for the fibreglass cows positioned along its main street as a tourist attraction.
Of course, Don Miller had a hand in those.
"I'm not sure if the cows were his idea or not, but I know he was one of the locals pushing for them as a talking point and tourist attraction," son Peter said.
"When the cows first arrived it was decided to paint them to resemble the local (predominantly Holstein black and white) cows so dad had a sea container full of (fibreglass) cows on the farm for a while until they were painted.
"Also, because sometimes the cows get vandalised or damaged, you need spare cows and one time dad had all the spare cows in his garage."
Other WA regional OAM recipients in the Australia Day Honours included:
- Dr Bernard John Chapman, Moora, for service to community health.
Dr Chapman founded the Moora Bed Race and YouthCARE and was a Moora Local Drug Action Group volunteer 1995-2015.
He was first aid trainer and counsellor for local St John Ambulance crews, mentor to Rural Health West John Flynn Scholars and has been involved with International Medical Volunteering since 2004.
He was Shire of Moora Citizen of the Year 2012.
- Steven Lawrence Turner, Bridgetown, for service to square dancing.
A life member of the Square Dance Society of WA since 1997 and on the National Square Dance Society of Australia roll of honour since 2008, Mr Turner has held positions with the Australian National Square Dance Convention Board since 1972.
He was a board member of the Australian Callers Federation for 32 years and president 1998-2001 and 2010-13.
- Katherine Margaret Walker, Brookton, for service to youth and to the community.
Former Brookton District High School teacher and Shire of Brookton Citizen of the Year 2013, Ms Walker has been involved as a leader and trainer with Girl Guides WA since 1974 and became a life member in 2014.
She was Guides assistant State commissioner 2006-11 and a State council member 2011-15, 2006-2011 and 1994-2003.
Ms Walker is also a Brookton Choral Society member since 1980, a former society president and show producer and its current wardrobe mistress.
She is also secretary of the local St John ambulance sub branch.
- Janet Whisson, Cunderdin, for service to primary education.
Ms Whisson was Meckering Primary School principal 2005-19, acting deputy principal Quairading District High School 2003-04 and a teacher at Cunderdin District High School, 1977-2003.
She is a former president and secretary of Cunderdin Jaycettes Club and a member since 2000 and is a Cunderdin Museum committee member, a foundation member of both Cunderdin Book Club and Cunderdin Photoclub, delivers Meals on Wheels and was a Cunderdin Brownies leader for 10 years.
Two regional WA firemen also received Australian Fire Service Medals in the Australia Day Honours.
- They were Gingin West Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade stalwart George Robert Grant, who joined the brigade in 1963, and Bridgetown career firefighter Peter Mark Thomas.
During his time at Gingin West, Mr Grant has held many positions, including captain, lieutenant, fire control officer and deputy bush fire control officer, a role he relinquished in 2018 to give "the young ones a go".
In 1987 he was presented with a brave conduct commendation for assisting another volunteer and he helped fight the 2021 Wooroloo fire.
Mr Thomas began his fire fighting with Rockingham Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) in 1990 before becoming a career firefighter, rising to the rank of station officer across Perth's south and Bunbury.
In 2012 he was promoted to area manager of the Lower South West and moved to Bridgetown where he introduced programs to recruit and improve skills of volunteers across the region.
Mr Thomas is currently creating training videos on road crash rescues, hazardous materials and structural firefighting.
He remains a Bridgetown VFRS member.
