White Pages Covers Program

Courageous Australian Susan Peters-Smith, Cooma’s Yellow Pages® and White Pages® cover girl

March 4, 2010

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Each year, locals are featured on the covers of the Yellow Pages® and White Pages® directories in recognition of the contributions they make to their communities. Under the theme Courageous Australians, this year directories producer, Sensis, is recognising courageous people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to overcome adversity and help others in their time of need.

After receiving nominations from community members for the annual honour, Cooma resident, Susan Peters-Smith has been selected to appear on the cover of this year’s Cooma directory which is distributed to Berridale, Bombala, Cooma, Jindabyne and Snowy Mountains.

Susan Peters-Smith has battled non-Hodgkins lymphoma leukaemia for 11 years and through her own fight with the cancer knows first-hand the value of having a local cancer support network.

Now in post-remission, Susan is passionate about being the facilitator of the Cooma ‘Look Good Feel Better’ cancer workshops. These sessions help members enhance their appearance and self esteem by teaching them beauty techniques to mask the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. She has also raised funds for the ACT Eden Monaro Cancer support group which helps local cancer patients with vouchers for fuel, food, medication and counselling.

“It’s so important when you’re battling through cancer to maintain a positive outlook on life, and what ‘Look Good Feel Better’ does is exactly that. It helps cancer victims become more positive about their future and it’s something I’m very proud to be a part of,” said Susan.

Susan’s courage extends beyond her commitment to other cancer sufferers. When she was a volunteer SES member for Cooma, her unit was the first rescue team at the scene of a fatal road accident on the same weekend as the Thredbo landslide disaster. As the only qualified SES member at the accident and with no time to wait for backup, Susan cut the man from the car wreckage, ultimately saving his life.

Distribution of Cooma Yellow Pages® and White Pages® is planned to start on 6 March 2010 and it will take approximately six weeks for the directories to be delivered to all households.

Sensis encourages residents and businesses to recycle their old directories. In most areas, Yellow Pages® and White Pages® can be recycled as part of normal kerbside recycling services. Visit www.recyclingnearyou.com.au to find out about recycling services in your area.

Did you know? The past three local people who appeared on the Cooma Yellow Pages® and White Pages® cover were:

2009/10: Jindabyne resident Jan Owens featured on the Yellow Pages^® and White Pages^® cover under the theme ‘Creative Australians: Inspiring our Communities’. Jan voluntarily organises a large public exhibition every year, bringing art to the community of Jindabyne and encouraging involvement from community groups

2008/09: Brad and Monika Spalding fromThredbo appeared on the directory cover for the ‘Celebrating Australian Flavour’ theme. The spaldings operate Thredbo Valley Distillery, Australia’s only schnapps distillery. Brad and Monika set out to create Australian schnapps to rival the best of Europe, located in the alpine region of Thredbo.

2007/08: Carol Vamkaris of Cooma was the cover hero for the ‘Champions of our Community’ theme for her work in Looking After Our Kosciuszko Orphans. L.A.O.K.O is a self-funded, not for profit, wildlife rescue group base in Cooma. Through her role in L.A.O.K.O, Carol assists in the raising of animal orphans and rehabilitating them for release back into the wild.