If there’s something happening in Shoalhaven Heads, you can just about bet you’ll see Anne-Louise O’Connor’s smiling face somewhere in the background.

The energetic Edinburgh national came to Australia in 1968 “as a £10 pom”.

After various jobs, Anne-Louise started in advertising in 1973.

She returned to England for three years, then came back to Australia and stuck with the media industry ever since.

Anne-Louise and her husband John visited Shoalhaven Heads briefly in 1998 and “fell in love with it”.

They made the move in 1999 from Sydney, not knowing a soul.

“But we met some lovely people,” Anne-Louise said.

“Like anything, you get out of it what you put in.”

Anne-Louise and John threw themselves into the community, getting involved in clubs, services and events.

“I was very involved in the 2000-01 fires in fire control for three weeks straight,” Anne-Louise said.

“I was called out on Christmas Day to man the phones and I thought, ‘they are going to be hungry’, so I made some cupcakes and took some stuff from the bakery back.

“I ended up co-ordinating food for all the people in fire control.”

In 2001, she joined the Shoalhaven Heads VIEW Club, where her background in advertising and media suited her to the role of publicity officer.

Anne-Louise is also part of the chamber of commerce in the Heads, and as secretary helped put out the village brochure.

She’s also been very involved in the community forum since it began 11 years ago, as publicity officer.

But if there’s one thing she’s known for, it’s probably the Heads News.

Anne-Louise kicked off the publication in October 2004.

There had been another newsletter in the village but it dwindled.

“There was no avenue to get publicity out and because I was doing it for other places, I decided it was a good opportunity to put something together,” she said.

“I’d never done anything like it before. I wrote to all the businesses to ask if they’d support it. Through that, I can put in ads for community groups without charging.

“It really keeps the community involved in what’s happening.

“It’s produced by locals for locals.”

Getting it off the ground presented its own difficulties, but never one to shy away from a challenge, Anne-Louise used her experience and the support of the community to make it happen.

From community groups, sporting bodies and businesses, it’s all in the Heads News.

While others help out with the delivery, you’ll still see Anne-Louise herself out and about distributing copies.

“Well that way I can chat to people and find out what’s going on – get all the goss,” she laughed.

It’s very apparent from the passion in Anne-Louise’s voice as she talks about her community, she doesn’t do what she does for the glory.

So she was shocked to discover she was nominated for and won Kiama Women of the Year.

“It came totally out of left field,” she said.

Anne-Louise was invited to attend the NSW Women of the Year awards.

“I thought, ‘that’s nice’,” she said.

“I thought we were rent-a-crowd.”

When she finally twigged, she was overcome.

“I could not do half the things I do in the village without John, my right-hand man,” she said.

She reiterated the philosophy that has seen her through life.

“You get out what you put in,” she said.

“I just like being able to help people.

“It’s easy enough to hibernate. But it’s great to give something back; I certainly don’t do it for gain.”