Jacqui Foley looks glamorous as she sits in the restaurant she proudly owns and operates, even after a challenging and incredibly brisk evening fundraising for homelessness.
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Having been recently named on the NSW Hidden Treasures Honour Roll, where she was acknowledged for generously volunteering on the boards of multiple not-for-profit organisations, gifting her time to help others comes naturally to her.
Jacqui was named alongside three other Far South Coast women including Alison Jenkins from Merimbula, Helen Slater from Bega, and Jacqueline Whitby from Bega.
"I feel really touched and chuffed and I'm really honoured to be named in the list among some other beautiful women," Jacqui said with a radiating smile.
"My background is environmental science and funnily enough I did my thesis on oyster farming on the east coast of Tasmania. Never in a million years knowing 20 years later I'd own a restaurant that's famous for oysters," the owner of Wheeler's Seafood Restaurant said.
Never having worked in the industry before or managing a hospitality business, Jacqui still jumped in the deep end at the opportunity, and a decade later the challenging venture had built friendships and knowledge.
In addition to her role at the restaurant, Jacqui said she had volunteered on the board of the Gourmet Coast Trail, part of Merimbula Tourism for nine years, Fix the Brown, and Sapphire FM where she runs a Business Matters radio show.
As president of the Gourmet Coast Trail, she said the not-for-profit aimed to spread the word and encourage visitation year round to the Sapphire Coast for the amazing hospitality options provided in the region.
With the ethos 'A rising tide floats all boats', the more a spotlight can be shone on the diverse range of food and drink on the Far South Coast, and invite people to experience it, the more the economy will develop.
"Stories are key, it's what threads our lives together, and a good story can be life-changing, and I think for me, my story is that I do a bit of volunteering. I do tend to say yes rather than no to opportunities or to provide help," Jacqui said.
"And people often say that I'm silly saying yes to too much or my plate's too full, which it is and it's overloaded. But I think in this life, giving back and giving from your heart is so important.
"I try to do that with this business and I really care about people and I love either telling stories or sharing stories with guests and staff.
"So I'd encourage everyone to dig a bit deeper and look outside the square of their own life and see what talents they can share, because that will enhance the fabric of this community."