FROM the second you see Yolande Grosser’s face and hear her voice, you cannot help but feel at home.
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The Horsham mum of three is the type of person who can bring warmth to even the coldest room.
That is, if she’s in the room for long enough.
She is what one might call a ‘busy bee’ who is juggling a dozen things at any one time, so you are not likely to find her in the same place for long.
In addition to raising three daughters – Katianna, 15, Yasinta, 13, and Tiani, 11 – with her husband Kym, Yolande is an avid volunteer whose days are filled with everything from producing school plays to organising free events for Wimmera families.
Yolande is also a storyteller, and the triumphs and challenges of parent life and all of her other many ventures are well known to many.
This is because, for the past 13 years, she has written a weekly column for the Wimmera Mail-Times.
It’s an impressive feat for anyone, let alone someone with so many other things demanding their time and attention.
“I've been writing A Mum’s World since Yasinta was four months old,” Yolande said.
“I just look around and see what's happening. I often think it's a bit like Seinfeld – it's a column about nothing.
“The thing that amazes me is how many people, particularly older people, will say 'That reminds me of what it was like as a parent'.
“Some things have changed, but generally having a family brings all the same kinds of challenges and experiences as it always did.
“People remember their own stories, and they get a kick out of that.”
“I once wrote a column about putting your pants on and finding a lump halfway down the leg, and finding out that it was yesterday's knickers. When that happened I thought, ‘Stuff it, I’ll put that in the column’."
For Yolande, the column is not only a unique way to connect with the community, but a record-keeping exercise.
“Lots of mums think when something happens, 'Oh I must write that down and remember that', but they never get time,” she said.
“One of the coolest things for me about writing the column is I have a lovely record of different little events.”
Do her children ever worry about what mum is telling the world?
“I don’t think they read my column anymore,” Yolande said.
“In primary school they used to, but I think they've lost interest because it's been going for so long.
“Sometimes I'll check with them, 'Is it okay if I mention this?'
“In life you go through things that, at the time, seem really embarrassing, but a few days later you have a good laugh about them.
“I once wrote a column about putting your pants on and finding a lump halfway down the leg, and finding out that it was yesterday's knickers.
“When that happened I thought, ‘Stuff it, I’ll put that in the column’.
“So many women are still coming up to me and saying, 'Oh guess what happened to me yesterday?’”
The desk in Yolande’s pantry where she writes her columns is also the place much of her other work takes place.
While family life and keeping up with her girls’ commitments keep her busy enough – “Being a mum’s taxi is fair dinkum pretty much my full-time job” – Yolande is also a tireless volunteer. Among her passions is the Horsham College chaplaincy committee.
“We have two chaplains, and as a committee – through incredible support from lots of different community groups – we have raised $26,000 to pay salaries,” she said.
“That blows my mind when I think about that number.”
Yolande also helped develop and run Operation 19:14, an annual event at Horsham’s Sawyer Park that started in 2011 and provides free food, rides, entertainment and activities for families.
“We're having a Sabbath this year – we needed a year off,” she said.
“It's only one day but it takes a whole year to organise. I miss the monthly meetings with the committee though because they are such great people.
“I'm also a volunteer teacher at Horsham West Primary School for Special Religious Instruction.
“It’s four weeks each term for half an hour, and we have about 100 kids doing that.”
Yolande’s most recent addition to her list of commitments is as the producer for Horsham College’s production of Legally Blonde Junior.
“I can't help myself. Two of my girls are in it so it makes sense for me to help,” she said. “I'm also on school council. I think if your children go to school, you almost have to get involved to see what you can offer.”
For all the joy Yolande has found through volunteering, the one role that has brought her more in life than she could have ever imagined is as a mum.
"Raising my children is the most important job I could be doing."
“I used to get upset when people would say, ‘Now all the kids are at school, are you going to go out to work?’,” she said.
“I felt immense pressure about that. Because we’re in business and my husband is away a lot, I had to be at home – one of us needed to be around for the girls.
“It is different for everyone and every family. But raising my children is the most important job I could be doing.
“My whole driving force is that I feel I’m part of this global church that is all about love.
“So for me it fits that I would be in a role caring for children – mine, other people’s, everyone – and I hope that’s where my energies are focused.
“I think that probably says everything about me.”