Carol Briscoe OAM: from a small “yes” to a lifetime of service

During this Jubilee Year of Hope, Carol Briscoe, who was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the 2025 Australia Day Honours List, reflects on her long association with St Agnes’ Catholic Parish and a lifetime of volunteering shaped by simple moments of saying “yes”.

Modest by nature, Carol is still somewhat surprised by the recognition. Nominated by her Parish, the award acknowledges decades of service to the Church and wider community, particularly in the area of education.

“I just said yes to a few things that needed doing,” she says. “And it grew from there.”

Those “few things” became decades of involvement across Parish life and education, including leadership roles in finance and education councils, diocesan governance, early childhood services, and community initiatives such as school sport and scholarship programs.

Carol’s connection to the Parish began in 1976, when she and her husband Peter arrived in Port Macquarie. With five children attending Parish schools, she began helping in small ways –– preschool activities, tuckshop duty, and parent committees.

“One thing led to another,” she says. “It just grew.”

Early involvement soon expanded when she was invited to support Parish finance discussions and later joined formal committees. What followed was a long period of service across education governance, including chairing the St Agnes’ Education Council for 20 years and contributing to diocesan education leadership across the Lismore Diocese.

A strong thread through Carol’s work has been access to education.

“I had the benefit of a good education myself,” she says. “I’ve always believed it should be accessible for others too.”

That belief helped shape initiatives such as the Parish Education Committee and later the School Fees Committee, which supported families experiencing financial hardship by looking at each situation individually and finding practical ways to help.

Carol also helped establish the Kathleen Briscoe Tuition Scholarship with her husband Peter, created in memory of Peter’s mother to support families transitioning into secondary schooling within Parish schools. The scholarship continues today through community donations.

Beyond education, Carol was also involved in establishing the Saints Netball and Port Saints Football clubs, helping create opportunities for children of all abilities to participate in community sport.

Looking back, Carol is understated about her contribution. For her, it has always been about people coming together and getting on with the work that needed to be done.

Volunteering, she says, has always been as much about connection as it is about service. It has been deeply rewarding, not because of any one role or outcome, but because of the relationships formed along the way and the sense of being part of something larger than herself.

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, Carol says her optimism is grounded in both her family and the Parish community. She speaks about the many people who quietly give their time without seeking recognition, and says it is this steady commitment that gives her hope for the future.

Her faith, too, is described simply. “It’s just part of everyday life,” she says.

While others may point to her long involvement in Parish governance and education, Carol is reluctant to frame it in those terms. For her, it has never been about individual contribution.

“Nobody does it alone,” she says.

What began as a small “yes” has, over time, become a lifetime of service –– carried with humility, faith, and a strong sense of community.