By Nayda Hernandez
Dr. Laurel Johnson, an Inala local for more than two decades, is our Forest Lake Community Spotlight community hero for July. Every month, she volunteers her time to bring her executive team together for the betterment of the Inala and surrounding suburbs community. Always with a smile and determination, Laurel has been a resident of Inala for over twenty years, raising her two daughters with her husband in her forever home. Not only does she work towards building a strong community, but she is always there whenever a local needs a helping hand or listening ear. She truly embodies the spirit of women supporting women and community. Her grassroots work is paving the way for women as town planner and a social scientific researcher at the University of Queensland. Laurel loves her family, big dogs, dancing, and being kind.
What volunteering projects are you involved in?
“I currently volunteer at Hub Community Projects Inc (the Inala Hub) where I am President of the Management Committee.
That role is very important to me as the Inala Hub is a place for community legal services, as well as a neighbourhood centre with a great range of free and low-cost activities for all age groups.
There are seven of us on the Management Committee and we work together in a supportive, caring team.
I am motivated to volunteer because I am grateful to live in Inala and be part of its many communities. I see volunteering as a two-way relationship: I give my time and I get a strong sense of belonging in my home community.”
What drives your passion for volunteering in your local community?
“I am passionate about the communities of Inala having a voice in the things that happen in Inala. A local, everyday democracy where, as well as voting every few years, we can play an active role in the decisions that impact our streets, neighbourhoods, and our lives.
I am hopeful that we can have more opportunities to exercise that influence at local, state and federal levels.”
Where did your passion for volunteering start?
“My mother had a strong sense of community. She was open and welcoming, wherever she lived. She influenced me to volunteer.
I started volunteering as the facilitator of an Inala writing group. Writing is a lonely process and there are many academics and students in Inala.
The Inala writing group met weekly in my kitchen for a few years to support people to write.
The Inala Writing Group published an article about the group.”
What advice would you give to Lake News readers that could do with a pick-me-up?
“I have had personal and family health challenges.
I have come to understand to be grateful for what you can do, and not punish yourself for what you can’t do.
This has helped me (and my family) to regain strength and move forward. I learned that healing from illness and grief can take years.”
How would you like the local community to be made bigger and better?
“In our community, I would like more celebration of, and respect for First Nations people, and better public facilities.
An affordable public swimming pool is much needed, as it is very hot here in summer (and it will get hotter) and many homes don’t have a swimming pool.
More street trees are needed to cool our streets. Inala people are terrific users of public transport, and we should be rewarded with excellent public transport where buses run on time.
I also want people to de-sex their cats!”
