The Advertiser

BY LINA MESITI

16 Jun, 2010 04:00 AM

“PATRICIA (Patsy) Toop, a Williamstown champion for a good cause, has had a triple celebration in recent days.

A partner in the successful law firm Clark, Toop and Taylor, Ms Toop received a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday honours for services to heritage, maritime and social welfare organisations.

"It's a great honour and I'm totally humbled by it," she says.

"It was completely out of the blue. I had no idea at all, until the letter arrived.

"It was amazing, even more so to think that someone nominated me and that a number of people actually took the time to write something about me that must have influenced the decision. I think it's quite remarkable."

Ms Toop is president of the Williamstown Maritime Association, secretary of Seaworks Foundation, and a committee member of Preserve Old Williamstown.

She's also a member the Workers Occupational Health Centre board and in her spare time brews beer and sings with a band called Long & Short of It.

And last week, she had more good news.

Her new CD titled In the Middle was launched on Monday at Pirates Tavern in Williamstown.

As well, she received some long-awaited news about Seaworks.

"At long last, we've been presented with a lease for Seaworks from Parks Victoria. It's [the redevelopment] been a huge project just getting to that point, and we're just at the cusp on signing off on it and hope it will be finalised by June 30.

"It's ultimately a 21-year lease which effectively means the Seaworks Foundation will become the equivalent of a landlord who will direct development and management of the site [Nelson Place], so we are all very pleased.".......”

http://www.themail.com.au/news/local/news/general/gong-for-one-who-helps/1859116.aspx?storypage=0#