Moree councillor Jim Crawford was left humbled on Wednesday when he was named the 2018 Moree Senior Citizen of the Year.
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Receiving the Senior Citizen of the Year pin from fellow councillor Kerry Cassells at a special presentation as part of Moree Seniors Festival, Cr Crawford said he was shocked by the honour.
“I’m extremely honoured, very humbled,” he said.
“I don’t do what I do to get awards, it’s just helping other people when I can and perhaps one day I might need that help myself.”
Ever since he moved to Moree from Inverell with his family in 1982, Cr Crawford has thrown himself into the community, giving selflessly to a number of organisations.
“I really only got into it when I moved here; I found it a way to meet people. It helped me get into the community and get to know people,” he said.
Cr Crawford started out with Moree Apex Club, serving for about 10 years until he turned 40 and “was thrown out”.
He then joined Moree Rotary Club and served time as president and secretary.
Cr Crawford was also an honourary treasurer for the rural counselling service.
He still volunteers for Moree Community Transport and Meals on Wheels and is the current president of Moree Family Support and a member of the Moree Area Homelessness Service committee, juggling all of this with his duties as a Moree Plains Shire councillor.
Cr Crawford is an avid believer of putting back into the community what you get out of it.
“I just enjoy helping other people; it gives me a lot of satisfaction to assist where I can,” he said.
“When you can help somebody out and see the satisfaction on their faces whether it’s driving them to medical appointments or delivering a meal.”
Cr Crawford said he’s never received an honour like this before, however was nominated for Citizen of the Year earlier this year.
“Just to be nominated is an honour in itself,” he said.
“To win it is really great; it means the work that I have put into it has been rewarded, not that that’s why I do it.”
Cr Crawford was one of four nominees for the 2018 award, including Anthony Doyle, Betty Humphries and Joy Egan.