Mr McKeown has been involved in tourism in the Bega Valley Shire, particularly in Merimbula, for the past 18 years and stepped up 10 years ago when council changed the structure for tourism information and promotion.

Mr McKeown took on the challenge of opening and running the Merimbula Visitor Information Centre (VIC) and created a voluntary organisation known as Merimbula and Sapphire Coast Promotions that ended up with members from across the shire and from further afield.

He designed the method of operation for the VIC, had it accredited with Tourism NSW as a level one information centre and then provided the documents to Bermagui and Eden so that they could do the same.

He established a new tourism magazine that was affordable to its members and established contacts in other parts of NSW, Victoria and the ACT and personally delivered boxes of the magazine for five years. 

He also arranged stands at trade shows in Victoria and the ACT and manned them on an annual basis with assistance from volunteers.

Mr McKeown organised television advertising when the recession hit and successfully promoted Merimbula and the Sapphire Coast for over five years.

He contributed hundreds of hours of his own time to fill a critical gap in promoting our beautiful region.