1988-94: Councillor, Shire of Ararat. Dorothy Dunn has also been involved in her local community as Secretary of the development committee, and as a member of the Central Highlands Rural Finance Counselling Service. Her service to the development of her rural community was acknowledged with the award of a Centenary Medal in 2001.

1992 - February 1993: Member of committee to set up Australian Women in Agriculture organisation.

1993-1997: Founding member, and inaugural President, Australian Women in Agriculture, one of three national bodies representing rural women at state and federal level, to recognise, support and raise the profile of rural women's contribution to agriculture and natural resource management, to unite such women and to facilitate their participation in decision making. Upon retirement from the Presidency, Dorothy remained as a Board Member for the following year, and was at the same time (1997-99) a member of the Victorian Rural Women's Reference Group for the Office of Rural Affairs, Department of National Resources and Environment.

1993: Participant, Women's Stories, 4th Annual Women on Farms Gathering, Tallangatta.

1994: Committee Member, Treasurer, First International Women in Agriculture Conference.

1995: Member of the Steering Committee, National Rural Women's Forum, Canberra, as President of AWiA. Out of this Forum came the National Rural Women's Agenda, for the guidance of the Women's Policy Unit within the Department of Primary Industries and Energy.

1996: Steering Committee member, Ararat Women on Farms Gathering.

1997: Opened Bendigo Women on Farms Gathering, with Pat McNamara, Minister for Agriculture and Resources.

1998: National sponsorship co-ordinator and delegate, 2nd International Women in Agriculture Conference, Washington.

1999:

• Submission, 'Australian Women in Agriculture', to The Standing Committee on Primary Industries and Regional Services, Inquiry into Infrastructure and the Development of Australia's Regional Areas, as Policy Convenor, AWiA.
• Admitted as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)

2001:

• Facilitator, Social Issues Group, Australian Women in Agriculture Conference.
• Recipient, Centenary Medal.

Dorothy Dunn is still actively involved in her local community.

Sources used to compile this entry: Marius Cuming interview with Dorothy Dunn, ABC Rural Legends, Online Editor: Judy Kennedy; National Editor ABC Rural: Shane Mahony, ABC Radio & ABC Online, 2002, http://www.abc.net.au/rural/legends/stories/4_2.htm; Herd, Margaret (ed.), Who's who in Australia 2002, 38 edn, Crown Content, Melbourne, 2002, 2020 pp; Shane Mahony (ed.), ''Australian Women in Agriculture': Interview, Dorothy Dunn with Shane Mahony', Headspace , no. 13, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1999, http://arts.abc.net.au/headspace/rn/cbfast/women/default.htm.