Raquel Stevens
Danny Moynihan has been described as a Community Warrior and the title is thoroughly deserving given he has served on more than 30 organisations spanning four decades.
Some of his wonderful words of wisdom could be bottled like a good wine and future generations could certainly learn a thing or two about his zest for life and dedication towards helping others.
Tell me exactly how many organisations you have been involved with over the past couple of decades?
I don’t know. There’s quite a few because they come and go and a lot of them are no longer around, like Neighbourhood Watch. I sort of inherited the role from my wife, who was in everything – Ros – anything that was going around town, she was in it.
How did you come to live in Daylesford?
I moved up here in 1984 on Highland Gathering Day and started work on the Monday after the Highland Gathering. Ros and the two kids came up in 1985 because there was nowhere for us to live here at the time.
I lived at the Belvedere Hotel upstairs. I was there for December and January. So, I’ve got 40 years up this December, so it’s the longest I’ve ever been anywhere.
No doubt you’ve seen a lot of change in Daylesford over those 40 years. What have been some of the good and some of the bad?
Well, good change, the hospital is bigger and better. The schools are better, there’s more educational activities now. There’s also a lot of extra money coming to the town through tourism.
Now the bad points are there’s not a lot of employment, full-time employment. When I came here, there was a lot more families, and the schools, they had more students in the schools. We’ve lost a lot – the Abattoir, Datex fabrics, the Sawmill closed down – so probably lost about 300 plus full-time jobs.
You were the 2022 Citizen of the Year, described by the mayor as a quiet achiever. How important is volunteer work?
I think if you live in a community, you should give back to the community.
I joined Rotary back in 1985. Next year, I’ll have 40 years up in Rotary, and that’s the longest I’ve been in any organisation. And we’re struggling for members at the moment, like a lot of other voluntary organisations. We’re all getting older, believe it or not.
I’ve also been a long-time volunteer of Chill Out, I think it’s 23 years. Never been on the committee, but always been a volunteer.
Tell me a fun fact about you that the community doesn’t know?
I was the first and only male president of the Girl Guides here in town. I used to go to the meetings as a parent. My daughter, Natalie, went to Brownies or Guides, whatever it was at the time. And you would go to these meetings, and nothing would happen.
I put my foot in it and said, “I’m sick of coming to these meetings and nothing going on. I’ve got better things to do.”
And they said, “if you think you can do better, why don’t you?” So, I was the first male president of the Girl Guides in Daylesford, which I held for three years.
If you had a superhero power, what would it be?
I’d like to be a bit like Superman and fly around town. You could get to places very quickly.
If you could invite three people to a dinner party, who would they be?
There’s a bit of consternation here. The family because you can’t have a dinner party without the family.
But apart from the family, it would be Julia Roberts and George Clooney. I think they’re fabulous people and they’re always good-natured, always got a big smile on their face, and tell funny stories about each other.
Describe yourself in a sentence.
Father, grandfather, and I’ve got lots of friends. And somebody once said, “you’re a community warrior.”
What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
I started at the Post Office when I was 16. Then one day we had a manager’s conference. We’d been in the job for 20 years, and they told us, ‘none of you will be here in the next 10 or 15 years.’
I thought, ‘what’s going on?’ They said, ‘don’t be afraid to change.’ I think they were preparing us for the time when a lot of post offices were going to be closed and we would have to go out on our own.
That’s very good advice, isn’t it?
It is. Nothing is a job for life nowadays.
If you were stuck in Wombat State Forest for the rest of your life, what three items would you take?
Firelighters, because you need them. Change of clothes, because if you get wet, you don’t want to stay in your wet clothes.
You’re very practical, Danny. What about a luxury item?
And the third one is my granddaughter, Wynter. The reason why I’ve got to take my granddaughter is she always says, ‘when you get old, Poppy, I’ll look after you.’
What are you streaming right now?
I like docos, real life docos. I watched one last night, ’Limitless’ on Channel Nine with Chris Hemsworth. It takes him up to when he is 85 years old, with his wife. It was very interesting.
What life lesson should be passed on?
I’ve always believed in ‘life is too short; you’ve got to make the most of it. You don’t know what’s around the corner.’
What has been the highlight of your life so far?
It’s difficult because I think being family oriented, it’s always good to watch your kids grow up. They make mistakes, it’s natural.
The more I see how some kids get on the wrong side of the tracks and it affects them later in life. But I’m very pleased that both my two have grown up well and are pretty level headed.
If you were a hashtag, what would it be?
I don’t know.
I have an idea. What about #communitywarrior or #lifeistooshort?
Yes, I agree Raquel, but I have another one, “make the most of every day.”
I think Danny’s dictionary on life would be a best seller. May your goodness be sprinkled upon our community for the next forty years.
Listen to Raquel’s interview with Danny on the Hepburn Radio SoundCloud. There’s more on the podcast!
Raquel Stevens is a former Network Ten News Journalist. She has been a part time local for more than 25 years, and one day hopes to be a full time local.
