FIVE Benalla men named in the Australia Day honours list may have varied interests, but all share a common love of their community.
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My philosophy is we’re here on this planet to make a contribution, to make a bit of a difference, even perhaps in a small way.
- Stewart Coutts
Athol Graham, Thomas Heaney, John O’Loughlin, Stewart Coutts and Alan Stafford all received Medals of the Order of Australia.
Country Fire Authority, the RSL, churches, sporting clubs, Benalla Garden Club, Benalla Historical Society and St Vincent de Paul are just some of the groups to benefit from their decades-long contributions.
Mr Graham has seen many changes during his 60 years with the Country Fire Authority, half as a volunteer and half on permanent staff.
“The equipment nowadays is very sophisticated and there’s a great deal of emphasis on the safety of the personnel using it,” he said.
“It’s dealing with the volunteers and the community in general that I love.”
Mr Heaney said he took most satisfaction from his efforts as foundation chair of the Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop Memorial committee, which started in the 1990s.
“It was once-in-a-lifetime, getting that to the point where we were able to open it,” he said. “I go past it every day and see people reading what’s on the plaques around there and having a look at it.”
Mr Coutts’ green thumb has raised money for community organisations like the Benalla hospital auxiliary, Red Cross shop and Riding for the Disabled.
“Right through I was always interested in growing vegetables and bulbs, then it branched out into doing fundraisers for various things,” he said.
“My philosophy is we’re here on this planet to make a contribution, to make a bit of a difference, even perhaps in a small way.”
A conversation one Sunday after the Black Saturday bushfires led Alan Stafford to become co-ordinator of Benalla Uniting Church’s fire fencing recovery project.
Mr Stafford said the idea “snowballed”, with the volunteers putting up fencing at about 130 fire-affected properties over several years.
“As I say to people, I’m only the centre of the wheel,” he said. “There were all these spokes of various organisations and people who came on board and made it tick and go.”
Mr O’Loughlin, honoured for his work with church and social welfare groups, assisted others over about 40 years with the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“I always liked to do that, it was nature of the beast, I suppose,” he said.
“Many of the people I see today, I helped years ago and it’s nice to say ‘G’day’ to them.”
