President of the Narrabri RSL sub-branch, Gary Mason OAM, has been officially presented with the Medal of the Order of Australia at an investiture ceremony at Government House in Sydney.
Mr Mason was among several people to receive honours from the Governor of NSW, Margaret Beazley AC QC at a recent function.
He was recognised in the Australia Day honours list for his community work on behalf of returned servicemen and women and their families over many years.
Mr Mason has held senior positions at local, regional and state levels of the Returned and Services League and has been awarded a certificate of appreciation and life membership of the RSL.
Watching on with pride as Mr Mason received his OAM were his wife, Kathy, and daughter, Kerri Peters, who lives in Sydney.
Earlier this year, when speaking with The Courier about his Australia Day honour, Mr Mason paid tribute to the support of his wife.
“This is an award I share with my wife Kathy who has always been there to support me in these roles,” he said.
“I am both humbled and honoured to be awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.
“I would like to say that I am extremely lucky to have the full support of my wife Kathy, the members of the Narrabri RSL sub-branch, chief executive Paul Gordon, his staff and board of Club Narrabri and most importantly the people of the Narrabri district.”
Mr Mason served for 20 years in the Royal Australian Navy, joining in 1968 as a 15-year-old Junior Recruit.
He served on HMAS Sydney in 1969 transporting and returning soldiers and equipment to and from Vietnam and later on numerous Navy ships and depots during his naval career. He was discharged as a Chief Petty Officer in 1988.
For his service to his country, Mr Mason received the following honours – Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975 with Vietnam Clasp, Vietnam Logistics and Support Medal, Australian Service Medal 1945-75 with ‘SE ASIA’ Clasp, Defence Force Service Medal with Clasp and the Australian Defence Medal.
On discharge from the Navy, he was employed by the Department of Labour and Industry (now Safe Work NSW) and in 2000 moved to the WorkCover Office in Narrabri in the role of generalist safety inspector for the Northwest District, retiring in December 2017.
He was elected president of the Narrabri RSL sub-branch following the retirement of Ken Craddock OAM in 2016.
His selection as president was one of the proudest moments of his life.
He had joined the Returned and Services League in 1987 as a member of the Smithfield RSL sub-branch.
Mr Mason has been a board member of the Narrabri RSL Club for 15 years.
Within his first six months in Narrabri he took on the position of honorary secretary, followed by the treasurer, trustee, pensions and welfare officer positions.
He was also elected as the Narrabri delegate to the RSL North West District Council and was the president of that council for 11 years
and also elected as the Narrabri delegate to the NSW RSL Congress for 18 years.
