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BUNGALALLY woman Sue Alt will receive an Order of Australia medal.
Ms Alt was recognised for her service to the community through various voluntary roles in the Wimmera and Western District.
But she said her award was about teamwork – because that was what volunteerism meant to her.
“Individuals with a strong sense of community can achieve a lot, but as a group – with the same drive and commitment … that is powerful stuff,” she said.
“(My voluntary work) was not things that I did on my own. It was done as part of a team.”
Ms Alt’s volunteer work has always been centered around helping the community. When she relocated to Warrnambool in 1996, she could see room for improvements.
“There were things that I thought could have been done better and one of the things was that Warrnambool was by the coast (and) people can get lost at sea and lost in the bush,” she said.
It was this problem that triggered an idea to bring a helicopter to the South West.
“What stood out was, where was our helicopter to look for these people? If we were in Melbourne, there would be 10 helicopters buzzing around,” she said.
A task that started in 1996 evolved over 14 years to become the WestVic Helicopter Rescue Service.
“It was a long journey, but for me if it saves one life, it is totally worth it. If it saves a thousand, that is great – but if it saves one it’s all worth it,” she said.
Ms Alt was also a founding member of the Koori Court in Victoria.
“I was study my BA, which involved legal studies, and I got really involved in Koori issues and in particular Koori youth that come before the justice system and it was just not working for me,” she said.
Even though this award has my name on it – (and) I’ll wear it with pride – I know that it represents all those fantastic teams I have worked with
- Sue Alt
“In the end we had strong, robust and dedicated team who were there for the long haul and wanted to see it through to the end.
“We took our concept to Ron Halls, the attorney general at the time, and he implemented it pretty much immediately.”
Ms Alt has also been involved with the Country Fire Authority, the Australian Bravery board and the Bravery Institution of Australia.
Ms Alt said volunteering was about staying focused. At times she said she had to make sacrifices.
“I couldn’t have done it without the support from my husband John, Ben, Matthew and my wonderful friends.
“Even though this award has my name on it – (and) I’ll wear it with pride – I know that it represents all those fantastic teams I have worked with.”
Ms Alt’s husband, John Robinson, received an OAM in last year’s Australia Day honours.