PORTLAND local Pixie Endacott has a gift.

For 52 years she has been helping young mothers with breast feeding.

Last week, Glenelg Shire Mayor Karen Stephens presented Mrs Endacott, who currently is the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) Portland Breastfeeding Group leader, with the ABA’s Judy Gifford Impact Award for her years of volunteering.

For Mrs Endacott, the presentation of the award in front of a group of young mothers in the Portland Botanic Garden came as a complete shock.

“I'm very honoured, because this was totally out of the blue,” she said.

“Judy Gifford was such a special person in the Australian Breastfeeding Association. This is very special for me…to be awarded this.”

Mrs Endacott’s work in breastfeeding stems from a personal part of her life.

“I wanted to breastfeed both my children, and I needed help with my second child,” she said.

“I rang the Nursing Mothers Association, as it was then, and they were so helpful and so wonderful that they said, ‘Would I like more information about the Association,’” she said.

 “And I said, ‘Yes, please send it’…And so I joined, and I went along to meetings, and I suddenly thought this is pretty special, because in those days there was no internet, no computers, hardly any books about breastfeeding, and no easily accessible information.”

In 1972 Mrs Endacott joined the Nursing Mothers’ Association of Australia (NMAA) in 1972 in Sydney and qualified as a councillor in 1976.

From there Mrs Endacott went from strength to strength.

She became the first editor of Breastfeeding Review, then a twice-yearly journal, in the early 80’s and became the first ABA international board-certified lactation consultant in 1986 and organised the Australian examination procedures for the lactation board in Sydney.

In 1999 Mrs Endacott was appointed as the ABA Victorian branch Training Coordinator and remained in that role till 2003.

In 2004 she was awarded an Honorary Membership of the ABA.

In 2022 she was appointed group leader of the ABA Portland group.

“We have a monthly meeting where mum’s and their babies come and just enjoy talking about breastfeeding,” Mrs Endacott said.

Mrs Endacott said the best part of her role is meeting new people.

The ABA’s Portland group breastfeeding educator Lynda Cooper said it was an “absolute honour” to have Mrs Endacott lead group.

“She's known right throughout Australia as one of the most experienced breastfeeding counsellors and group administrators.

“Her knowledge can’t be surpassed by anyone. She would have helped thousands of mothers who have rung the helpline with a question or a problem, or possibly in tears…she’s one in a million.”

For anyone needing information about breastfeeding Mrs Endacott said there is plenty available.

“We have a website, www.breastfeeding.asn.au, we have local councillors,” she said.

“We have breastfeeding education classes…we have meetings and lots of resources available on the website and… and we have a very good relationship with the midwives at the hospital.”

As for her plans, Mrs Endacott has no plans.

“I just keep going,” she said.

The Judy Gifford Impact Award is named after Judy Gifford OAM who was a long-standing volunteer with ABA.

The award is given to one ABA volunteer a year and has a criteria including longevity of service to ABA and having a positive difference to ABA and/or within breastfeeding in Australia.