The casual chat on a flight that started Pambula OAM recipient Colin Dunn volunteering

He's one of five Bega Valley residents being recognised with an OAM this Australia Day - the others being Robert Johnson of Bermagui, AJ Collins of Tathra, Darrell Hegarty of Merimbula and Michele Bootes of Meirmbula.

Colin received the Bega Valley Shire Community Service Medallion in 2019 and was also Senior Citizen of the Year, in 2019.

The citation "for services to the community of Pambula, and to education" doesn't convey the many hours Colin spends volunteering with Pambula Rotary where he has been president three times.

When we met he admitted to feeling the effects of having been out the night before at the Discovery Parks Pambula Beach caravan park. Assisted by the Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast they organised and sold German sausage suppers with profits being split between the two organisations.

It followed two lamb on a spit roast nights and a paella night in previous weeks and raised funds which Pambula Rotary will recirculate back into the community through its other volunteer work.

Colin is a serial volunteer running a Friday morning radio show on Sapphire FM, is on the Merimbula Jazz Festival committee, is ambassador for the Pambula and District Community Development Bank (Bendigo Bank), having previously been chair and treasurer, and a member of council's Access and Inclusion Committee.

In between there's the work on the Pambula gardens and Rotary markets.

But he had never volunteered until he came to the Bega Valley.

It was a chance meeting on a Rex flight to Sydney with Pambula Rotarian Daryl Dobson that set a new course for Colin after retiring to Pambula with partner Jill in 2006.

"Daryl was on the way to get in the ear of the Minister to put a lid on Pambula Pool," Colin said.

"It piqued by interest and I have been in Rotary ever since. That meeting was significant and opened my eyes to volunteering. There's a little bit of self indulgence too; I enjoy it."

The success of the campaign to cover Pambula Pool and turn it into the Sapphire Aquatic Centre is something of which Colin is proud - he was chairman in 2011 - along with getting Beryl, the mobile stage fitted out with sound equipment.

"Another significant meeting was with Ron Finneran who wanted to play golf and so we arranged a cart for him."

That got Colin interested in accessibility issues and when he was told that fixed pylon replacement jetties were being planned for Merimbula, Colin helped form BOAT the Bureau of Accessible Tourism, which advocated for floating jetties and the walkway from Spencer Park to Bar Beach.

He has been involved in the fight to save Pambula Hospital and is on the Bega Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund committee, which he advocated for through his connection to the Bendigo Bank.

Colin said through all the organisations in which he was involved, he had gained an extra network of friends who shared the same ideas and goals.

"And it's fun."

Prior to retiring Colin was a long-term teacher of business studies and commerce in Victoria and Canberra and also worked in education as a public servant.

He has written a number of books about business and was the deputy principal of Tuggeranong College.