HAVING received an Emergency Services Medal in this week's Queen's Birthday honours, Beechworth's John Hennessy has been "overwhelmed" by the response.
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The SES stalwart was given the recognition as a salute to his long service to the organisation which began when he was sold some raffle tickets in the streets of Rutherglen in the late 1980s.
Then SES member Mavis Gillman was fundraising for her unit with a wood raffle which drew the interest of Mr Hennessy who two weeks later joined the voluntary rescue group.
Mr Hennessy, who turned 80 last Thursday, then went on to become part of the Beechworth, Benalla and Myrtleford units and have 11 years as controller of a regional support unit.
Originally from Sydney, Mr Hennessy moved to the North East in 1983 to work for the winemaker Baileys of Glenrowan.
Wanting to contribute to the community and being too old for Apex he joined the SES with skills from school cadets, national service, cross country skiing and bushwalking proving useful.
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"For 30 years I've been proud to say I'm an SES volunteer and I think 'what does that mean?'," Mr Hennessy said.
"What it means is that their standards and values, with diversity and inclusion, define who I am today.
"The other thing is they're bloody good people and fun to be around.
"We've got everybody from farmhands to plumbers to educated people with IT skills."
Mr Hennessy said he was flabbergasted and amazed to receive the award.
"I'm just a wheel in a large machine and making sure it all works," he said.
"I just cannot believe the nice comments and praise, I'm really overwhelmed.
"It staggers me the comments that have been made."
Mr Hennessy's work has taken him to Fremantle and Sydney to help with storm repair damage, as well as attending countless fires and floods across the North East since 1993.
He is also well known as a penny farthing rider and was a torchbearer at Beechworth for the 2000 Olympics.
Also honoured for his work in the honours list was Pat McCormick who received a medal for his career in the Victorian prison system which has taken him across the state from the south west to the north east.
His work has included having a central role in the closure of the old Beechworth jail in 2004.
As regional industries manager, Mr McCormick promoted vocational services within the prisons at Beechworth and Dhurringile in the Goulburn Valley.
Mr McCormick was cited as "equipping prisoners with improved skills that would benefit them, and the community, on their release".
