Millicent builder Garry Davis routinely uses the internet for business purposes but had never before received an email from Government House in Canberra until a few months ago.

This piqued his curiosity and when he opened the digital message it revealed the Governor General’s official secretary had written to advise he had been nominated for the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours.

The awards across the nation were announced yesterday.

His citation states his OAM in the General Division was awarded for service to the community through a range of roles.

“I was surprised to hear of the award and honoured to accept it,” Mr Davis said.

A particular passion for Mr Davis has been the Lions service club organisation and he has held senior leadership roles at district level and with the Millicent club.

He has chaired the Australian Lions Childhood Cancer Research Foundation and Lions Youth of the Year at district level and Lions has recognised him with the coveted Melvin Jones Fellowship.

Among his other voluntary roles have been as leader of the Millicent Scout Group as well as its parent club along with being vice-president of the management committee of the Millicent and District Community Club.

Originally from New South Wales, Mr Davis trained as a carpenter and has run his own family building business in Millicent for around 30 years.

He came to the region in the 1980s to work in Kingston and then secured work in Millicent with Glencoe builder Bob Northcott.

“I attended my first Lions meeting at Millicent in about 1986,” he said.

“I knew of Lions for the wonderful Christmas activities for children at Kingston.

“At the time we were living in Bonshor Street and our next-door neighbour was Lions member Rod Gall who invited me along.

“Rod died in Queensland last month at the age of 80.

“My very first project with Lions was building the toilets in Jubilee Park in Millicent.”

Over the past 35 years, he has literally given thousands of hours of voluntary service to the international service club.

“My advice to anyone considering joining a service club is to give it a go,” he said.

Although the Millicent Lions are perhaps best known for their catering van and various community projects, it is his keen participation in Lions events in faraway Birdsville in Queensland which has stuck in his mind.

“One year, we drove a restored tractor at a maximum speed of 18kph from Millicent to Birdsville as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service,” he said.

“The Millicent Lions also catered for the annual Birdsville races for five consecutive years and we had a great time.

“There were about 20 Lions and their partners and we were rostered on duty between 6am and 9pm each day.

“We met all our own travel, accommodation and other personal expenses and so the fundraising tally was high.”

As he is turning 70 later in 2022, Mr Davis is looking to wind back his building work.

His OAM has delighted his wife Jeniene and their son Marty as they were home a few months ago when the official Government House email arrived.

It had to remain a secret until yesterday for the other members of the immediate family: son Scott, daughters Amanda and Rachel and father Ted.