Orange Rotary Club’s David Williams will be awarded alongside Anne Hopwood – who has worked with Foodcare, Housing Plus and Livebetter. 

Mr Williams, who moved to Orange in 1946, said he was “very humbled” by the nomination.

He’s been a member of the Orange Rotary Club since 1978 and has held nearly every position in the club at one time or another since becoming vice president in 1986. 

He was also the co-founder and committee member of the annual Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Festival, and Orange Sustainability Week was also his brainchild, held annually since 2008, but Mr Williams said others were also worthy of award.

““It makes you wonder ‘why me?’ when so many other people have done so much,” he said. 

Mr Williams said family would be coming up from Yass to help him celebrate with a barbecue, which will be a nice reflection of the role family has played in his community work. 

“My parents were always civic-minded people, my mum especially,” he said.

“My dad helped form the first pony club in Australia and my mum was always with the CWA, the Red Cross and fundraising for the war effort.

“You tend to be what your parents are, and I believe you have to be involved in the community because that’s the only way the community will survive.”

Ms Hopwood said she was blown away by the recognition, having been in Orange for nearly three decades and donating her time for most of her stay here. 

“I’m surprised, excited, honoured, still haven’t figured out what to say,” she said. 

“It’s a wonderful honour, one doesn’t work thinking of being recognised but it’s good knowing someone has thought of it.”

She said she’d enjoyed “every day” of working with a whole raft of organisations from Food Care to community service manager at Orange City Council for two decades and on the boards of LiveBetter and Housing Plus. 

She wanted to thank all the people she’d worked with over the years, especially those in community organisations who “battled on” despite limited resources and uncertainty around funding.