Australia Day Honours: Five Bega Valley residents receive OAMs

Five Bega Valley residents have been named in the 2024 Australia Day Honours List, each receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia - an OAM.

In the annual list highlighting significant service to their communities were Robert Johnson of Bermagui, AJ Collins of Tathra, Colin Dunn of Pambula, and Darrell Hegarty and Michele Bootes, both of Merimbula..

Their service was extensive - and varied.

While Vietnam veteran Mr Hegarty was being saluted for his service in the navy aboard HMAS Perth, Dr Collins was on board Mercy Ship 'Global Mercy' off the coast of Sierra Leone when ACM called about his OAM.

Ms Bootes' OAM was being awarded for service to lifesaving, and Mr Johnson, while also a lifesaver, was also being commended for his commitment to blood and plasma donations - he's up over 700 so far.

And everyone in the shire would know of Mr Dunn and his extensive service to the community, not just at Pambula either.

He's a serial volunteer, as president of Pambula Rotary, running a Friday morning radio show on Sapphire FM, on the Merimbula Jazz Festival committee, ambassador for the Bendigo Bank Pambula and District, and a member of council's Access and Inclusion Committee. And those are only the start of it.

They won't be the only residents being celebrated on Australia Day.

Bega Valley Shire Council is presenting its annual Citizen of the Year Awards as well as several community medallions at Friday morning's celebrations in Littleton Gardens.

The 2024 Citizen of the Year is Carina Severs, Senior Citizen of the Year Flo Young and our Young Citizen of the Year is Tarra Glover.

Festivities start with a free breakfast from 7.30am with the official ceremony from 8.30am.

Meanwhile, in Merimbula, the traditional Australia Day float will see hundreds catch the outgoing tide from the bridge to Spencer Park (likely around 12pm onwards according to tidal charts).