Stan Soroka named outstanding contributor at Sapphire Coast event

Mr Soroka has been a tireless advocate for the mountain biking trails in Eden and has been involved in every step of the development from finding grants, planning, building and trying out some of the rides himself.

Gravity Mountain Bike Park, Eden is the result of the efforts by Mr Soroka, the committee, volunteers and fundraisers.

He knows the area well as it's his backyard and has always believed with the surrounding infrastructure and existing nearby towns, the area would make a great mountain bike haven.

"We've had over 1000 riders coming though, mainly from Jindabyne and Canberra at this stage," he said of the recently opened trails.

He has also maintained mountain biking would be big for everyone because Eden had a two-speed economy but mountain biking was something that could be done in shoulder and off peak seasons.

Recent heavy rains - Mr Soroka said they had 600mm in the Eden/Nethercote area where the trails are located - only washed out one road. The road wasn't even a trail but just a connecting road between two areas and was in the process of being rerouted, Mr Soroka said.

The recognition of the outstanding contributor to tourism is a relatively new part of the industry briefing but there was little doubt that Mr Soroka was a deserving winner. He was presented with a framed photo by David Rogers taken of Ben Boyd Tower before the fires.