Caring for children became a story of a family calling, for Judith Hewison, a recipient in this year’s Australia Day 2019 Honours List.
The recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) has been acknowledged by her community for her service to children.
What is most remarkable, is that at 82 years of age, Ms Hewison still enjoys and is committed to the job that has always been, in her words, “quite lovely”.
Ms Hewison, of Cronulla, is the name behind Mimi Kindergarten, which was named after her mother, Daisy Nina, also known as ‘Mimi’ in 1952.
The children’s long day care and school readiness centre has been operating in Sutherland Shire for more than 60 years. It was one of the first to be established not only in the area, but in NSW.
It was initially established as a guest house in the 1960s then progressively became a long day care and vacation care centre as demand grew.
The centre also provided a bus service up until mid-2018.
Ms Hewison, the owner and operator, continues the long and traditional history with a dedicated vision – to continue the philosophy of family care.
“My mother was a single mum, and in those days, it was very hard on your own with no support – she had two jobs,” she said.
“We started with boarders, then after we sold the Ewos Parade premises, we bought the [current] 1900s heritage building on John Street.”
The school readiness centre caters for children from two to five years of age.
“We took on preschoolers and it’s been so interesting to see people come back all grown up,” Ms Hewison said.
Watching a child read a book or plant in the garden are some of the simple pleasures all in a day’s work for Ms Hewison, who is also a former nurse.
“I love children,” she said. “They are all so lovely and you really appreciate the time spent together learning.”