Stan & Shirley Delaney.

SHIRLEY Delaney has been a force of nature through her lifetime, firstly through her career in the Women’s Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF), then volunteering for the Red Cross, City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch, Penrith RSL Auxiliary, Penrith Wanderers, Mission without Borders and at the St Phillips Church Op Shop.

Shirley has enjoyed the honour of carrying the WRAAF flag in the ANZAC Day marches in Sydney for the past 41 years, each year travelling into the City after first attending the Dawn Service in Memory Park, Penrith.

Sadly, as she now approaches her 90th birthday, health restrictions will prevent her from carrying the WRAAF flag in 2026 and will impact many other voluntary pursuits.

Born at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Paddington in 1935, Shirley lived in Bellawongarah (near Berry) as a child, attending Berry PS and Nowra HS.

Upon leaving school, Shirley initially worked in Woolworths in Nowra, before moving to Botany and working at Johnson & Johnson.

At 18 years of age, she convinced her father to allow her to apply for the WRAAF and joined up in Rushcutters Bay, before moving to Point Cook (VIC) for a 6-week training program,

She was then posted to Richmond Air Force Base for 12 months, before being posted to Wagga Wagga, where she would spend the next three years of her service.

One memorable role during her posting at Wagga Wagga was being assigned to attend the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, as a Stewardess for the WRAAF, where she had the privilege of waiting on Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Shirley met future husband Stan in 1955, whilst serving at Wagga Wagga, and the pair were married in 1957. Shirley would leave the WRAAF in 1957 at the rank of Acting Sergeant.

Stan was posted to Malaya in 1957 and he and Shirley would live there for three years, welcoming first son Geoffrey into the family during that period of time.

Upon the family’s return to Australia, they initially lived in Kingswood, before later moving to Cambridge Park. Second son Kevin was born in Australia, as a welcome addition to the family. Shirley’s extended family has since grown to include five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Shirley began work at the Penrith Air Force Base as a Stewardess in 1972, the location of which is now the Westfield Shopping Centre. She later moved into a Catering role at Nepean District Hospital and would remain in that role for 17 years.

She first began accompanying Stan to meetings of the City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch in 1974 and would join at a later time, when women were accepted as members.

Shirley has been a member of the Penrith RSL Auxiliary for 32 years and a member of the Red Cross for 33 years. She has been widely, and frequently, recognised over many years for her constant and tireless work on behalf of the Red Cross, including fund-raising on Daffodil Day.

Shirley was selected to the Penrith Council Wall of Achievement in 2004, ran bus tours for seniors with Penrith Wanderers, was the group’s founding treasurer and is now a Life Member.

She stood down as Treasurer of the WRAAF Reunion Group, a role she held for 27 years. She has also worked in the St Phillip’s Church Op Shop, been a member of the knitting group for Mission without Borders and is a member of the ‘Merry Widows’ at The Outpost, St Marys, which is gearing up for ‘Widows Month’ in October, with a special luncheon at the Diggers Club on 19th October.

Shirley and Stan celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary in December 2017, before Stan sadly passed away just two weeks later.

By definition, Shirley is a volunteer with a capital ‘V’. “Whenever someone wanted a volunteer, I put my hand up,” she said.

“I’ve loved carrying the flag on ANZAC Day and experiencing the wonderful camaraderie, both within the WRAAF and then, over the ensuing years, with so many clubs and groups.”