Mrs Porter, a dairy farmer at The Sisters, received the award for her tireless work fighting Powercor after the 2018 St Patrick's Day bushfires.

"I stood up because the fires damaged my family and my community, and my community matters," she said while accepting the medal.

"It matters to me that it doesn't happen again to someone else in this room or to anyone in rural Victoria.

"The fires that affected us are preventable and more work needs to be done."

The Polwarth Medal has been established by Member for Polwarth Richard Riordan to recognise people who has gone above and beyond working for the region.

"It is an opportunity to give proper recognition to someone who has done a lot for their community," Mr Riordan said.

"Jill is one of the smartest and most dynamic people I have met in this job. Her attention to detail and her quest for knowledge is unbelievable.

"I have learned more about power poles then I thought possible."

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