John McCarthy, 75, has given decades in the service to his community, most notably with the Country Fire Authority, Lions Club and the Returned and Services League.
This week he was awarded a medal of the Order of Australia for his efforts, an honour Mr McCarthy said he did not expect.
“I was quite surprised, actually, and very humbled by it,” he said.
“I’ve been doing a lot of work for the community at Torquay for a long, long time, and I had no idea this was coming.
“But it was very nice to hear it.”
Mr McCarthy, who served as a sapper in the 17th Construction Squadron in Vietnam, began devoting his time to ex-service organisations in the 1970s.
He has been a committee member for the Torquay sub-branch of the RSL since 2002 and was president from 2007-2010.
He said his military service had fuelled his desire to help others.
“When I got back in the community (after serving) I felt I had to be able to help other people out,” he said.
“So I became a welfare officer at the RSL many, many years ago, and I’m still doing that now. It was just about giving a bit back to the community.”
Mr McCarthy has also been a member of the Lions Club of Torquay for many years, sat on the Anglesea Football Club committee and was a CFA Torquay brigade member for 16 years.
A retired bricklayer, Mr McCarthy said his wife Patricia had always been a staunch supporter of his volunteering efforts.
“My wife’s been a good back up for me the whole way,” he said.
“If it wasn’t for her I think I would have pulled the pin on it a long time ago.”
