Having worked as an accountant while raising her four children, Kay had a very busy, happy life and it wasn’t until later on, when she was diagnosed with her first bout of cancer in her 40s, that she decided to take some time to give back to the community around her.
Her husband Geoffrey said Kay’s resilience and positivity were what got her through those difficult times.
“She was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 1985 and it came back again in 1992, so she had half her bowel removed at first, and then in 1992, had the second half removed,” he explained.
“I remember her looking at me and saying, ‘I’ve had cancer twice, and I’m not going to work anymore’, and I looked over and said ‘OK’,” Geoffrey recalled, and it seems the rest is history.
Having been a member of Girl Guides Victoria since 1972, Kay’s health scare and decision to leave work helped kick start her greater involvement in the organisation and in the years since 1992, she has gone on to rise through the ranks and help countless young women in the process – but her battle with cancer was not over.
Shortly after her second bout of bowel cancer in 1992, Kay was diagnosed with endometrial cancer, but that wasn’t the last of the bad health news.
“So she had three lots of cancer and then a few years later, she had a heart bypass and a few years later got a superbug,” Geoffrey said.
“Her kidneys shut down, she was in hospital for three months and could hardly walk for seven months, and in the meantime, the second bout of cancer escaped and she had more radiotherapy, so they gave her full dosage, and she’s now got scar tissues in there as big as a brick,” he said.
“I’m saying all of this because she’s done all this work in between all this illness, and her courage and her positive thinking are beyond doubt.
“She’s always got a smile on her face and she’s always fine – she’s not going to sit around and do nothing,” Geoffrey said.
While battling all these major health problems, Kay went on to fearlessly advocate for her community and do her part to help others, especially young women.
“I have a belief that our future is with our youth and I think it’s important that girls have a venue like Guides to go to,” Kay said, “it’s a good stepping stone for them for the future.”
Over the years, she held various positions within guiding and in 2001, was honoured with an Emu Award by Girl Guides Australia for her outstanding service to the organisation – but it’s not just guiding that Kay poured her heart into.
Having survived not one, not two but three cancer diagnoses, the Cancer Council of Victoria and the Royal Women’s Hospital were two causes close to Kay’s heart and ones she worked passionately to fundraise for.
By organising and running two balls in Berwick in 2011, Kay helped to raise more than $50,000 for the Royal Women’s Hospital – a remarkable achievement.
Inner Wheel Australia is another organisation that Kay decided to pour her energy into and over the last 20 years, she has been the president, the district chairman, and even been awarded the prestigious Rotary award, the Paul Harris Fellowship for all that she does for her community.
“She’s always been in the driving seat to come up with the ideas and make them happen,” Geoffrey said.
“Even after being very, very ill and having been in intensive care a lot, she comes out and she has never complained.
She’s never moped or gotten depressed by it, her positive attitude is just second to none,” he said.
Clearly an incredible woman, it’s no surprise that Kay was awarded the City of Casey’s Citizen of the Year Award in 2005 and a Centenary Medal in 2001 – and now her OAM will be added to the long list of her remarkable achievements.
For someone that was told she only had a few short years to live back in 1985, Kay Rankin has gone above and beyond everyone’s wildest dreams and will continue to be an inspiration to us all, for years to come.
