Chrissie Killian: Unsung Hero finalist

“Whenever people do something on a voluntary basis they get back 10 times more than they ever put in,” says Chrissie Killian, who has spent the best part of 45 years, or longer, working in a voluntary capacity with Athlone Little Theatre.

“I am part of a much larger unsung chorus of volunteers without whom the Athlone Little Theatre would not exist,” says the Drum native, who has been chairperson of the theatre for the last four years.

Chrissie has served on various committee with the Athlone Little Theatre for more than 20 years, and has never once considered any aspect of her volunteering work as a chore. “In fact, it has always been a labour of love,” she says.

The entire committee of the theatre is “100% voluntary” says Chrissie, who first got involved with drama in Drum.

When she began working in Athlone, she joined the Little Theatre, and since then she has done “every job under the sun”, she says, from acting to brushing down cobwebs, cleaning toilets, hoovering, washing cups, set design and make up, and in the last 10 years she has even turned her hand to directing plays.

“The volunteers are responsible for the upkeep of the Little Theatre building, so we do all the work like sweeping the paths outside, painting, cleaning windows – just about everything,” she says.

While she is extremely complimentary of all the volunteers who work tirelessly to bring cutting edge drama to the people of Athlone and surrounding area, and to ensure that the Athlone Little Theatre continues to thrive, Chrissie Killian says the current president, Paddy Martin, has been volunteering even longer than she has and has been doing “trojan work” for more than half a century.

The other Unsung Hero finalists are Olive Quinn and Rory Parkes.

The Westmeath Independent Community & Sports Awards 2024 takes place at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel on Thursday.

The Unsung Hero category at the Westmeath Independent Community & Sports Awards 2024 is sponsored by Athlone & Castlerea Credit Union.