General News
2 September, 2025
Mill House coordinator’s contributions celebrated as she bids farewell to the role
It was a fond farewell at Maryborough’s Mill House on Friday as Michelle Baker ended her transformative time as the organisation’s coordinator.
It was a crowded Friday Feast last week with over a hundred volunteers and residents gathering for more than the food, but instead to celebrate Ms Baker’s rich legacy of local contribution.
Four years ago, Ms Baker started as the organisation’s coordinator turning the struggling Goldfields Employment and Learning Centre into a community-focused organisation.
Mill House Neighbourhood House facilitates a host of events, workshops and activities to support connection among local residents.
From lunch on a Friday, to their weekly market, and opening their doors for other organisations the neighbourhood house has become a celebration of community spirit.
It’s a success story Ms Baker said is a team effort alongside Sarah McLean, who takes over as coordinator this week, and the team of volunteers.
“I feel like I’ve given the very best of me to this role ... it’s the perfect time to hand over to Sarah because it’s humming,” she said.
But that wasn’t always the case.
“We’ve evolved to the voice of the community,” she said.
The organisation originally focused on classes, but the community weren’t interested, so they voted with their feet.
“Anything that anyone came to we’d keep trialling to do more of that in the hopes it’d catch on,” she said.
Her efforts became activities, services, and support for a community struggling in all manner of ways.
“Community is the basis for human existence,” she said.
It’s a “selfless dedication” the organisation’s president, John Warner, thanked her for.
“Michelle’s always worn her heart on her sleeve and has always been passionate about things she’s really believed in. Michelle saw what could be and has helped transform many lives through encouragement and inspiration,” he said.
Ms Baker recalled standing in her home’s garden, coincidentally next to Mill House, ahead of her job interview.
“I imagined some emotional notes that I would hit through this place, not for myself, but I would witness in the community,” she said.
“There’s some heart to the place here.”
While those emotional notes came early, not the 10 years she imagined, she feels it’s the right time to hand over the reins.
“When you invest so much of yourself into a role like this it obviously can take a lot from you as well,” Ms Baker said.
But what she leaves behind, a focus and value for people no matter where they’re at, is sure to permeate the neighbourhood house’s future.
“Thank you everybody I’ll take you with me in my heart forever,” Ms Baker said.
