JENNIFER Bantow's Order of Australia medal award last Monday for helping preserve Victoria's heritage can be linked to the shock of early-morning demolition on an 1850s former Warrnambool hotel.
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It was not long after former premier Rupert Hamer had enacted Australia's first planning legislation to protect historic buildings in the early 1970s.
An interim protection order was placed on what was a stately old two-storey building on the corner of Merri and Banyan streets where the Old Maritime Inn now stands.
However, early one morning Mrs Bantow was alarmed by the arrival of earthmoving equipment at the historic building.
"They started demolishing it, illegally," she told The Standard this week.
"I rang the police and they came and halted the work.
"The council issued a stopwork order, but unfortunately the developers won by default because the building was so badly damaged.
"I believe it was Warrnambool's first hotel, Craig's. It was a treasure.
"There was no prosecution. That's when I joined the National Trust."
It was the catalyst for her long involvement in preserving local history around Warrnambool and Geelong where she is now the region's national trust branch president.
A few years later she led another battle on the corner of Merri and Liebig streets to protect an old sandstone building, once occupied by the Dickson family, which operated the former Cramond and Dickson department store opposite the Civic Green.
Mrs Bantow's National Trust branch won a challenge in the Victorian and Civil Administration Tribunal, but it was later overturned and demolition crews moved in to clear the way for what is now Guthrie Apartments.
She also helped preserve Proudfoots Boathouse, completed a set of drawings for a heritage trail booklet and helped establish a low-interest loan system for property owners wanting to restore old buildings.
After about 20 years in Warrnambool and Allansford she moved to Geelong with her husband Ray where they continued their passion for heritage with various roles including a stint as volunteer managers of the historic Barwon Grange.
"I think society is more accepting of heritage now than in the 1970s and 80s," she said.
"It's important to look after places of local and regional importance.
"Often you can combine development with heritage with a bit of imagination.
"We need to look after our old buildings which give towns their identity."
Mrs Bantow and other Queens Birthday honour recipients will attend investiture ceremonies in spring.
