The State Emergency Services volunteer has been part of the Portland and Heywood units for almost 40 years, including stints as deputy controller and controller.

Today he will receive an Emergency Services Medal (ESM) as part of the 2023 Australia Day Honours.

Mr Debono has assisted in large scale emergencies, including major floods in Gippsland five times between 1993 and 2016.

In 2021, he was a taskforce crew leader in the clean up following Cyclone Seroja in WA, and provided flood support in NSW.

He has represented VICSES at the highest level at the Australasian Road Rescue Challenge in New Zealand and Scotland, and been an instrumental leader in many cliff rescues.

Our Australia Day honour recipients:

Meanwhile, the late Richard Douglas Moore, formerly of Cobden, received an OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) for his service to music through pipe bands.

Mr Moore was the pipe major and tutor with the Colac and District Pipes and Drums from the 1980s-2017 and a life member.

He was also the pipe major and drum major with Terang Pipe Band from 1980-1989 and pipe major with the Cobden Pipe Band from 1946-1980.

Another OAM recipient Kenneth Mansfield, who was a manager for Alcoa of Australia at the Portland Aluminium Operations from 1995-2003, was recognised for his service to the community of Geelong.

Colac's George Neil Stewart also received an OAM.

He has extensive experience in real estate, was a founding patron of Colac hospice Anam Cara House since 2013 and served on water and sewerage boards and associations.

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