Heather was born in Southern Cross and brought up on an eastern wheatbelt farm. She graduated as an Enrolled Nurse and worked at many different hospitals in Southern Cross, Wyndham, Melbourne and Cooma.
Heather moved to Perth in 1969 where she raised her children before moving to Cowaramup in 1987. She joined the Augusta Margaret River Arts Council in 1988 where she held positions of secretary and president.
In 2001 Heather took up a 2-year paid position with Arts Margaret River as Manager. During this time she set up the volunteer run cinema which commenced in January 2001, she coordinated the French Connection Festival in 2001 which ran for 6 months, and she was the matinee Team Leader for 11 years. Heather was a board member of Country Arts WA for 2 years and a founding delegate to CircuitWest which is involved in touring the performing arts throughout WA. During Heather’s long association with Arts Margaret River, she volunteered an average 20 hours per week, mentored new staff and committee members and ran induction and training sessions for new volunteers. She started the free Sunday Sundowner concerts in Cowaramup in the mid-nineties. She then initiated and coordinated the From a Glass of Milk to a Glass of Wine project which saw the construction of the public art work ‘stage’ at Pioneer Park, Cowaramup. Heather initiated the annual Readers and Writers Festival in 2009 and was an assistant for the children’s sessions Behind the Label.
Heather has received many community, state and national honours, including the Augusta Margaret River Shire’s Community Achievement Award in the Arts & Culture division (in 1992), the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellowship (2004), nomination for WA Citizen of the Year (2010), a Life Member of Arts Margaret River (2011), nomination as the Colin Duggan Citizen of the Year by the Cowaramup Lions Club (2011). In 2011 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to the arts.
