You could call her ’Amazing Grace’.
Altona Meadows’ Grazia ’Grace’ Gammaldi on Monday received an OAM for service to the community, including volunteering as part of the Laverton Catholic Parish and giving more than 110 blood and plasma donations.
Mrs Gammaldi, 72, started donating blood in 1993.
She also started donating plasma in 2016, because “you can give it more regularly“.
“One time, I started giving out every couple of weeks and then because you get a lot of build-up … I had to reduce that to every four weeks,“ Mrs Gammaldi said.
She does the cleaning and helps wherever needed at Queen of Peace church in Altona Meadows, which is just starting to offer small masses by appointment after coronavirus.
Mrs Gammaldi has been a committee member of the Melbourne Passion Play – cancelled this year – for 22 years.
She volunteers with Joseph’s Corner, which operates free drug and alcohol counselling centres at Yarraville, Hoppers Crossing and Laverton, and Merrijig op shop in Yarraville.
“They’ve struck hard times, too,“ Mrs Gammaldi said of the store she donates to and volunteers in.
“You can’t have any fundraising now – Joseph’s Corner used to do a lot of fundraising to maintain that.
“The goods were donated but you’ve always got the rent and things like that.“
On learning of her Queen’s Birthday honour, Mrs Gammaldi said she was “shocked and, dare I say, a little bit embarrassed“.
“I enjoy doing it but to me it’s just part of my life,“ she said.
“I think I’m privileged to be able to do the things that I do.“
