05 February 2023

An invitation to appreciate the Life of Dorothy Edgelow, OAM

There is difficult news to share, along with a warm invitation coming courtesy of my good friend and colleague Siegfried Gutbrod. Siegfried writes:

We have been notified by Dorothy’s family that Dorothy went to sleep in seemingly good health on Sunday, January 15. She did not wake up and was taken to the Angliss Hospital where she lay in peaceful rest, surrounded at all times by family members. She quietly passed away in the evening on Friday January 20th, 2023 at the age of 92. There was a close family ceremony held on Friday 27th and her ashes were scattered in the Dandenong Ranges. 

Dorothy’s family have asked the Gawler Foundation to arrange an Appreciation of Dorothy’s Life. 

You are invited to come together in Dorothy Edgelow’s memory on Thursday, February 9 from 2pm onwards at the Yarra Valley Living Centre, 55 Rayner Court, Yarra Junction

Refreshments will be served from 2pm onwards and the formal part of the gathering will be from 2.30 – 4pm with refreshments again served after that. 

If you cannot be here with us you may like to join us in spirit by lighting a candle together with us at 3pm in Dorothy’s memory. The chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Gawler Foundation will be overseas on Thursday and sends his apologies.

As you may know, Dorothy has been deeply involved with the Gawler Foundation from its very beginning to the very end in various key roles as an early major donor and as the highly competent Catering Manager and course facilitator covering some of the nutritional subjects and countless other roles. 

She authored four cookbooks promoting nutritional health.  

Dorothy has touched the lives of so many people in remarkable ways with her warmth and tireless dedication, being of service and helping so many people.  

She began the Children’s Whole Health Foundation in 2004 which proposed that Children’s Whole Health involved much more than just mainstream medicine. 

She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2010 for service to community health. 

Dorothy provided services to the Gawler Foundation and subsequently to Brahma Kumaris literally up to the last week of her life.

Dorothy, together with Roger Hersey have prepared a booklet of the History of the Gawler Foundation which you can download here by copying and pasting the following into a Browser Search Bar:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13hGyK72HEHMq1G-jr7xn0TDETFoAgBOe/view?usp=share_link

There will be an opportunity for you to briefly share if you so want during the celebration any significant experience/s you may have had personally in interacting with Dorothy during her time of service. 

For catering purposes it would be very helpful to let us know by not later than coming Wednesday if you are planning to attend the Appreciation of Dorothy’s life via RSVP to the following email address: hello@yvlc.org;     Tel 0478777405.

Looking forward to meeting you,

Siegfried Gutbrod  - longstanding friend and co-worker with Dorothy


4 comments:


  1. I have met Dorothy 20 years ago. I had been diagnosed with an advanced ovarian cancer and had had a surgery in November 2002. A patient in the oncology ward told me about lifestyle changing with Gawler foundation.
    My husband took me to Healesville, for my birthday on 9th February. While crossing the Yarra Valley traffic lights I saw the sign to the Gawler foundation. I asked my husband to take me there. We arrived late in the afternoon. It was a retreat week and we were welcomed in the Resource centre by the beautiful Robyn, Siegfried the clown and Dorothy. Dorothy took me in a tour of the foundation. She opened a new world for me. I became a fan of the foundation, religiously practicing the teachings and the cookbooks instructions. Dorothy was my star!
    From then onward each and every year birthday present was a retreat at the Gawler. All the foundation people were and still are my friends.
    I fell in love with Siegfried, but who can resist such a character!
    I was in a retreat last year, on the now Brahma Kumaris premises. Liz and Sandy organised everything for us. It was Sandy's idea to go and visit Dorothy. Such an emotional afternoon! We sat and talked like never before. I was embraced by her warm aura.
    This year, my birthday will be again on 9th February: it will be a very unusual birthday as I am in hospital with a fractured femur bone.
    I will be there in spirit, with all my Gawler foundation friends, keeping Dorothy's memory alive.
    Madeleine Selian

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    1. So good to hear from you again Madeleine. Bit sad about the broken bone, but lovely to read your recollections of the Centre and the role Dorothy played with in it. More power to you - and love :)

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  2. I met Dorothy back in 2009 (maybe 2010) when I attended an Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis retreat at the Gawler Foundation. To this very day my husband and I enjoy some of the special food and treats that I experienced there which I'm sure were devised by Dorothy. We especially enjoy our multigrain seeded crackers with almond paste and a drizzle of honey which I know I "discovered" on that retreat and which have been our morning tea snack every day ever since! That retreat was the best thing I have ever done to help me manage my MS and I have such fond memories of it and will be forever grateful for being able to attend. Thankyou Ian for your wonderful work.
    Gail Sherborne

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  3. OMG . She taught me everything.l just tried to ring her. She took me under her wing .

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