Vietnam veteran and former Warrnambool Returned and Services League president John Miles has received a state honour.
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On Friday night, he was presented with the Warrnambool RSL Sub-Branch Life Membership with Gold Badge by state president Dr Rob Webster, for his work with the RSL.
Mr Miles was nominated by RSL Active Warrnambool.
"It's overwhelming and I feel very honoured," he told The Standard.
"It came as quite a surprise to me.
"It was the furthest thing from my mind to have something like this happen.
"You did what you did because you wanted to for the love of the RSL to see it continue on the way it is."
Mr Miles was on the local branch committee for 20 years, spending the past 12 years up to last year as president, before retiring.
The Vietnam veteran didn't know he was nominated, but thanked the RSL and his wife, Alva.
"She put up with me hardly being here for 20 years, especially when I was president because I was going away overnight a lot to meet people," he said.
He also received life membership to Victoria's RSL in 2013.
Mr Miles received his badge on Friday evening at a presentation at Warrnambool RSL, alongside Port Fairy Sub-Branch's Doug Nolte who was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
Mr Miles was called for national service in 1966 - serving in Vietnam from November 1966 to August 1967.
The well-known Warrnambool identity was in HQ1ALSG (First Australian Logistics Support Group) with the Royal Australian Army Service Corp as a general duties truck driver, transporting people and supplies, after spending two days as a Colonel's batman acting as a servant.
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