Thirty-six years later, Mrs Gosper has made the Australia Day honours list for her services to the Cudal community.

As a co-founder and volunteer of the Cabonne Food, Wine and Cultural Centre, Mrs Gosper believes that small towns need to help themselves to thrive.

“I enjoy being in a small community. When you’re in a small community I feel you have to be involved. In the little villages now you’ve got to do something. You can’t just expect some miracle to keep the village alive,” she said.

The Cabonne Food, Wine and Cultural Centre opened in 2001 in the village’s old General Store building and now operates on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, using entirely volunteer labour.

The community effort has been inspirational, Mrs Gosper said.

“I was involved in the beginning and we’ve put a lot of hard work into it. So many people have, and you can’t just let it fall off the rails,” she said.

Commonwealth Government grant money helped restore the beautiful old building to its former glory.

Mrs Gosper, who worked as a teacher in Cudal, Canowindra and Manildra before her retirement, has been involved in many aspects of community life.

She is treasurer of the Cudal branch of the Australian Red Cross, a volunteer driver for Cabonne Community Transport, organiser of the Cudal Anzac Day celebrations and Toogong Dawn Service, an elder in the Cudal Uniting Church and author of “Servicemen and Women of the Cudal District”, among other things.

Mrs Gosper is passionate about keeping local history alive.

“When you read about what other people in the town have done, you do not want it to be wasted and fall into oblivion.

There were people who fought for the school and fought for the town,” she said.

Mrs Gosper has a daughter in Canberra and a son in Weipa. She said she was “humbled” by her Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

“I think so many people are entitled to this sort of award,”she said.