ROBBIE Stewart’s dedication to his home community of Kalangadoo has been recognised with the Sorby Adams Ward Australia Day citizen of the year accolade.
Mr Stewart will receive his award at an Australia Day breakfast function on Saturday at the Riddoch Memorial Institute in Kalangadoo.
When the 34 year old is not working at Woolworths in Mount Gambier, he volunteers his time as a Coast Guard monitor and a member of the town’s Country Fire Service (CFS) brigade.
Mr Stewart followed in the footsteps of his father, mother and grandfather and joined the CFS two decades ago, starting in front-line work before moving “behind the scenes” to help with the bomber refill.
“I’m a generational firefighter,” he said.
“For me it is all about being a part of the Kalangadoo community and helping them out – I’m not volunteering to get the glory side of things.
“Even though I’m behind the scenes I still am making a difference by making sure the town is safe and that gives me a sense of community pride.”
Meanwhile, he has volunteered as coast guard monitor for just over a decade and finds himself spending nine to 10 hours a day monitoring the radios and listening out for emergency calls.
“If I’m not at home monitoring, I’m on the road monitoring,” he said.
“I coordinate marine road traffic, answer any emergency calls for assistance from the start of the Glenelg River right through to Beachport.
“I’m the only person manning the coast guard for that area during the rock lobster season.”
Mr Stewart became involved with the coast guard after they posted an expression of interest for volunteers to join the South Australian branch.
He has not looked back since and has moved through the ranks from monitor to deputy state commissioner.
As part of his coast guard duties Mr Stewart participates in Port MacDonnell’s tuna fishing competition where he helps with pulling tuna out of the ocean and manning the radio.
“I get on board and be a part of the crew there,” he said.
“It is all about going out on the water, having a general presence at the event and joining in on activities.”
Volunteer work aside, Mr Stewart also raises funds and awareness annually in support of the homeless through the Swagtember charity.
He jumped on board the cause four years ago, not realising it would become a “yearly event”.
“I thought ‘hey this is something new and I will see how much money I can raise’,” he said.
“I wanted to become involved to raise awareness of homelessness, particularly in the region.
“Not a lot of people would notice there are homeless people in the area.”
To date Mr Stewart has raised $4000 for the charity – money, which he says has “gone a long way”.
“The funds I have raised from camp-outs and bike rides have been distributed to people who have lost everything in the Blake Tuesday fires and victims of the fires in the Blue Mountains,” he said.
Mr Stewart said his Australia Day award honour came as a surprise as he was not aware he had been nominated.
“It was a bit unexpected,” he said.
“Sometimes it pays to go about your day – the little things pile up and get noticed.”
Mr Stewart said he loved living in the Kalangadoo community and had no intention of relocating.
“I think I will stay at Kalangadoo for the rest of my life,” he said.
“I love it, just being out here and the quiet environment.
“If you do the little things they do not go unnoticed in the town.
“Also everyone bands together if something happens.”
