(From left) Phil Armstrong, Rotary District Govenor from Moruya, Denny Anderson, Paul Anderson and Bill Martin after receiving the Rotary Community Service award on Tuesday night. Mr Armstrong was making his official visit to the Crookwell Rotary Club.
WHEN Paul Anderson was awarded the Crookwell Rotary Club’s Community Service Award on Tuesday night it completed a happy circle in two ways.
Firstly, it echoed the community service rendered by his highly respected father George, who served as a Councillor and President of the Crookwell Shire Council for many years and was a noted Chief Fire Officer. George received the same award in 1985.
And secondly, as Paul himself said, it recalled the Club’s Rotary Youth Leadership Award to him back in 1965 – an award which he had happily used in all his job applications.
In presenting Paul with his award at Rotary’s dinner at the Services Club, Bill Martin particularly emphasised the contribution Paul has made to the great progress made at the local Showground in the years since he had become secretary.
Renovation and extension of buildings and development and improvements in the Showground arenas had been earmarks of the A.P. and H. Society’s activities in recent years.
Paul had played a prominent part in the planning and execution of these improvements, and also in the successful applications for grants from various sources which had made the work possible.
And he was not averse to “hands on” contribution on the mower.
Paul’s contribution to the community did not end at the Showground gates.
He played a role in the “Give Mates a Hand” project during the drought years, headed up by Gary Kadwell, and had personally delivered many of the goods to struggling households.
After his years as a nimble half back with the Green Devils Rugby League team, Paul had continued to make a contribution to that sport with many years as its secretary, so effectively that he was awarded a Centenary Medal for his efforts.
He is currently preparing a definitive history of Rugby League in this area – an offshoot of a series of popular articles published in the Gazette some twenty years ago.
His skills as a photographer, particularly of rural scenes around Upper Lachlan Shire, have become widely known, and a number of organisations had benefited from Paul’s donations of his pictures.
On top of this, Paul, in his professional capacity with the State Department of Agriculture had proved a great friend of many farmers within and beyond the district boundaries, particularly the potato growers.
Incidentally, Paul’s tenure with the Department will come to an end next week.
In accepting the award, Paul said he was humbled by his selection, and proud because of the similar recognition accorded his father.
He added that in both his father’s case and his own, whatever they had achieved had been with the help and support of their wives, Rita and Jenny respectively.