It's not every day we get a glimpse of the emotional side of our elected officials, but those at the March council meeting were fortunate enough to see just that.
Mayor Rhys Williams wore his heart on his sleeve when he presented the Local Legends award for March to Aaron Edwards. It was apparent as Mayor Williams fought back emotion when speaking about Mr Edwards' impact on his life and the lives of others, the esteem in which he holds the man.
Sadly Mr Edwards was diagnosed with early onset dementia several months ago. He retired from his position as Senior Pastor at Eastlake Church earlier this year, and is celebrating a milestone 20 years of leading the church and supporting his community.
"The family are coping pretty well at this stage," Mr Edwards said. "I was diagnosed about six months ago. At the initial hearing of it my kids, my wife Brony and her parents were all shocked. I was shocked. Josh [my son] did a piece at a Sunday meeting and the church were pretty shocked. But I'm just getting on with it.
"I paint the church, I keep myself busy. I'm alright as long as I'm contributing something of significance."
Mayor Rhys Williams said Mr Edwards' unwavering leadership in the community and dedication to helping others, made him a deserving winner of the award.
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"He is an inspiration to many people across the community, teaching wisdom to people along the way, and is such a selfless individual," Mayor Williams said.
Mr Edwards' son Josh Edwards has now taken over the role of Lead Pastor at Eastlake, but he remains highly involved in the church.
He's made a difference to many lives, including mine, and continues to mentor people from all different backgrounds; that's just one of his many qualities.
- Mayor Rhys Williams
Josh has described his father as an "authentic, real guy, who is always there to help people". "No job is too big or too small for him. His first question is always - 'how can I help you?' He has amazing connections with his community and relationships with community leaders, and is always cheering people on," he said.
Born and raised in Dumbleyung, Mr Edwards moved to Mandurah with his young family in 1992 to volunteer as a kids ministry leader at Eastlake Church, providing mentorship and leading youth programs.
Over the years, Mr Edwards has lead and supported many community outreach initiatives including starting the Healthy Breakfast Club in the early 90s at Riverside Primary School, where volunteers collect and cook nutritious food for school children who may come to school hungry. He's also been instrumental in organising many charity events such as the annual 'Solo Mums' pamper day and the Transform Cambodia project.
Mr Edwards is also highly involved in the local football community. He was a junior football coach for seven years, and assistant coach to the Peel Thunder league and reserves teams, where he was also sports chaplain mentoring players.
"I think my legacy would be the significant input I've been able to have in the community through the people I talk to from all sectors," Mr Edwards said. "I don't know how to express it, but I guess through who I am, I've had an influence. I'm just real and don't waffle on like a pork chop."
When I asked Mr Edwards how he'd felt about receiving the Local Legends award his response was "Surprised! What, are you kidding me? Then after thinking about it for awhile, I thought 'Gee, I'm honoured'. That somebody's thought enough of what I do to bring us to this point, you and I talking about this award. Such a privilege. And I'd do it all again".
