Hilary’s Silver Anniversary
Tomorrow will mark Hilary McMahon’s 2oth anniversary of working at the Jewish Community Council of Victoria…and 25 years of working for the Victorian community.
Hilary at work
McMahon was 19 when she started work with the Zionist Federation of Australia, She said: “My first job was data entry. After my first child was born I re-entered communal life this time working for what was then called the State Zionist Council of Victoria.”
Two and a half years later, McMahon started work at the JCCV where she has spent the last twenty years. She said: “It has been a roller coaster ride…but I love the organisation.”
Although she has worked seamlessly with ten presidents, McMahon says there is a special place in her heart for Nina Bassat. She said: “She was my mentor…a very hard-working woman who served as a huge example as to how things should be done.” Following her stint as the first female president of the the JCCV, Bassat went on to become president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
McMahon added: “One of the highlights of my time working with her was when when we had to deal with the Holocaust compensation claims. It was a huge job…and a massive responsibility…and the work was done pro bono.”
McMahon, whose parents immigrated from Manchester in 1959 recalls the three waves of Jewish immigration during her time at the JCCV. She said: “We have seen the Holocaust survivors in the 50s and 60s, the Russians in the 70s and 80s and the South Africans in the 80s and 90s. Now we are seeing a growing number of Israelis make their home in Melbourne.”
She told J-Wire that her father had been involved in the establishment of the Judaean League’s premises at 97 Alma Rd which developed into Maccabi.
Proud of what she calls “the most vibrant community I know”, McMahon says she is looking forward to her involvement with the JCCV’s current initiatives in inter-faith work and advocacy.
For Melbourne, this mother of two [her 28-yr-old daughter is one of Melbourne’s ten Jewish police officers], has proven to be a stalwart member of Melbourne’s community.
McMahon may have derived a lot of pleasure from her community work but thee i no doubt that in the end the community is the winner by having her working relentlessly in the backgound.
MAZAL TOV!! MAZAL TOV TO YOU HILARY – MAY THE NEXT 25 + YEARS ALSO BE AS REWARDING AS THE ONES YOU HAVE SPENT WORKING IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY!! HOW VERY NICE THAT THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THIS… REGARDS, CATHY.