Ian Voigt grew up and went to school in Horsham.

He returned in 1985 in a management role for the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands.

He stayed for 17 years, raising three children with his wife Barbara, before moving to Ballarat to take on the role of Department of Sustainability and Environment regional director for south-west. He is now DSE's executive director of statewide services.

Now of Buninyong, near Ballarat, Mr Voigt received a Public Service Medal for outstanding work in the sustainable management of land, water and biodiversity through practical and sustained leadership.

Mr Voigt said work completed while living in the Wimmera had contributed to his achievement.

"The Wimmera was a significant part of my life,'' he said.

Mr Voigt said there were two points to doing well.

He said the first was having great staff to work with.

He said the second was involving the community in any decisions that affected them.

"I've been very lucky and have been able to involve the community, that's a really big part,'' he said.

Mr Voigt said while in the Wimmera he helped start about 60 Landcare groups, 90 per cent of which were still running.

He said he also helped install a Wimmera River Integrated Catchment Plan. The plan was to help people enter debate into planning processes involving the river.

"That was one of my proudest moments,'' Mr Voigt said.

Mr Voigt said it was a great honour to win the Public Service Medal.

He said his wife Barbara, formerly of Natimuk, their three children and his mother Betty, of Haven, were all thrilled for him.

"It's been a fantastic, amazing time,'' he said. "It's a bit of a testament to the things I believed in and the way I worked, that people respected that.

"I'm pretty pleased the way I went about my job.''