By NICOLE WILLIAMS
FAMILY was the reason Val Exell join the Harkaway Cemetery Trust, but a love for the job saw her stay for 20 years.
Mrs Excell recently retired after 20 years volunteering with the trust, and 15 years ago she took on the role of secretary.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to throw things in,” the 67-year-old said.
“Times move on. It was rewarding to be able to service the community and help in their greatest time of need.”
As the secretary, Mrs Excell has taken care of most of the office work for the trust but has also been involved in planning funerals, being an attendant at funerals and being on call 24 hours a day.
She also rang the bell for every funeral.
“I have enjoyed doing all those things and meeting a great variety of people,” she said.
“It has been a very interesting thing to do and very rewarding position to have for all those years.”
Mrs Excell said she has many funny stories from her 20 years as a volunteer, interspersed with some sad times.
“There have been some very funny and very interesting things happen,” she said.
“It has had its good times and not very many bad times.”
But overall, Mrs Excell said she felt privileged to be able to be there for people in their grief.
“With somebody passing over, it is traumatic and I was there,” she said.
“They would come home with me and sit and talk. It was a privilege to be able to help people especially in a time of need, to be there for them when they were hurting the most.”
Mrs Excell had a health scare last year and her ill health was the confounding factor in deciding to give up her role.
“I felt it was rewarding and there were lots of friends to be made,” she said.
“Some of those people helped me last year when I was sick and I want to say thank you to them.”
Her husband, Ray, is the great-great-grandson of Ernst Wanke, and the family has always held an office position on the Harkaway Cemetery Trust in his honour.
With Mrs Excell’s retirement, it will be the first time the Wanke family does not have a presence in the office.
Ray Excell has also been volunteering with the trust for more than 55 years.
