Beryl Tyson remembered for dedication to Drouin

Beryl Tyson, known as the queen of Drouin’s Ficifolia Festival because of her dedication to the town, has been remembered by her family as a woman who put her hand up to do anything.

Beryl, 79, was killed in a collision while riding her bicycle at Drouin West on Tuesday morning.

Her son Adam said his mum had died doing what she loved.

“She always wanted to be known as the bike lady…she loved riding every day.

“She was fit, healthy and loving life,” he said.

Adam said Beryl often rode from her Drouin home to the Drouin West area, where she would visit family members buried at the Drouin West cemetery or spend some time reading at the Robin Hood reserve.

She also loved meeting friends to ride rail trails.

For 40 years, Beryl has thrown herself into the Drouin community, putting her hand up for any volunteer job that needed to be done.

She moved to Drouin from New Zealand in 1981 and with three young children – Shane, Adam and Jedda – it was easy to get involved in the community.

With children at Drouin Secondary College, Beryl took on the job of starting a school canteen for the students.

She became known as the “canteen lady” – a job she loved doing for 20 years from 1986 to 2006 and seeing generations of families go through the school.

Beryl volunteered every Thursday at the Drouin Op Shop and also helped out at Longwarry Food Bank and the Frankies community kitchen.

She volunteered at Amberlea Aged Care and helped with school bus patrolling in Bennett St.

Service clubs also benefitted from Beryl’s tireless commitment including the Drouin Lions Club and Club 88.

In honour of her work, Beryl was crowned Ficifolia Festival queen last year but it was a title bestowed on her previously.  She joined Dick van Leeuwen as the king and queen of Ficifolia 2020 – 32 years after they took the crowning honours at the inaugural festival.

“Our community service is born out of mum – we are all involved in clubs and organisations because of what we saw mum do.

“She was Drouin through and through, she lived and breathed Drouin.

“Mum was always the first person to put her hand up for the community,” Adam said.

Beryl also was a keen apiarist.

Beryl is survived by her three children and their families including five grandchildren and one great-grandson.

“She was very dedicated to her family and grandchildren,” said daughter-in-law Debbie.

Adam said his family was very grateful to the first responders, emergency services, major collisions unit and police who had to deliver the news to family.

Funeral details for Beryl have not been finalised.