At 93 there's not much that surprises Vera Deacon these days.
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But she admits last week's news that she was to receive an Order of Australia medal caught her off guard.
"I received a call yesterday; I was a bit overwhelmed to be honest," she said.
"Seriously, I can tell you 100 people who should have been ahead of me on the list."
Her award recognises a lifetime of work promoting and conserving the city's history, its culture, and environment.
Underpinning it all has been an unwavering commitment to social justice, something that has burned inside her since she was a girl growing up in Newcastle during the Great Depression.
Born in Mayfield in 1926, Mrs Deacon was raised on the picturesque islands in the Hunter River estuary before it gave way to heavy industry.
As much as the natural environment was a formative experience, so too was the hardship her family endured during those years.
"I am a child of the depression; we lived in the Mayfield West unemployment camp," she said.
"I remember walking around with my father when he was looking for work."
The principle of "If you have wealth you must share it", which she learnt during those years, has served as a compass to navigate life's ups and downs.
Since returning to Newcastle in 1997 following the death of her husband, Mrs Deacon has immersed herself in preserving the city's culture and environment.
Her book, Singing Back The River includes a collection of stories written over six decades.
"We loved the river as we loved our mothers, those laughing, hard-working strong island women," she wrote in the story, "River Song".
The book was edited and published by Marilla North, who tracked down her long-time friend's stories.
"Vera's stories need to be collected for posterity and brought into the 21st century so they can be widely disseminated," she said.
Mrs Deacon has also been a regular donor to the University of Newcastle's Cultural Collections for the best part of two decades.
Her generosity, which has helped fund the conservation and digitisation of materials led to the establishment of the Vera Deacon Regional History Fund.
In recent years, she has also done her bit to restore her childhood stomping ground, the Hunter estuary.
"I have been involved in planting on Ash Island for 20 years. They are such wonderful people to work with," Mrs Deacon said.
