"We’re excited!"

So says former Wollongong Citizen of the Year and Illawarra icon Janine Cullen, who this weekend heads north to start a new life with her partner, Gordon Critcher.

"I’ll miss my family, my friends and, of course, the beach,’ Janine said, having sold her waterfront property in Woonona, after living in Beach Drive for the past five decades.

More than 150 people turned out for Janine and Gordon’s farewell on Sunday at the Towradgi Bowling Club, including many civic, business and charity leaders. Many in the crowd I spoke to are still in shock that the unofficial ‘Queen of Wollongong’ is leaving town.

"If we didn’t do it now, we never would," Janine told me.

"We thought we’d be downsizing, but we’re not," she said, having purchased a two-hectare property just outside Lennox Head.

Janine started her career as the first woman cadet at the Illawarra Mercury.

I first met Janine in the mid-1980s when we worked together in the ABC Illawarra newsroom. She also worked at WIN-TV, Prime and wrote for AAP and the Sun-Herald.

Janine has been a powerhouse in local business and charity circles for decades. Her communications consultancy business, JC – The Power of One, has gone from strength to strength over the past nearly 25 years. She’s also been a board member for The Illawarra Connection, the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and many more.

Janine isn’t sure what new challenges await her but it’s that uncertainty, starting with a blank canvas, that has her excited about what’s to come.