THE bestowing of a Medal of the Order of Australia on Orange mayor John Davis was unexpected for his family who have experienced the ups and downs of life in local government.
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Finding it had to talk about the honour, an emotional Cr Davis, surrounded by his wife Kay and their children and grandchildren, said it was a humbling experience.
Cr Davis has been honoured for more than 25 years of service to the local government areas of Blayney and Orange, and for his commitment to starting the Cruisin’ Along rally to raise funds for cancer patients in the region.
“I feel this is for Kay and the kids as they have had to put up with a lot over the years but criticism is part of the job for me and is democracy in action,” he said.
“In local government you do spend a lot of time away from your family.”
Cr Davis said when he received his letter notifying him he had been nominated for Australia Day honours he put it aside without much thought.
“No one goes into this to get the accolades or any recognition - that’s not what it is about,” he said.
However, Cr Davis said the highlight of his years working for the communities of Blayney and Orange was seeing the provision of radiotherapy services for cancer patients come to fruition.
“That one certainly has to be top of the list,” he said.
Mrs Davis said both she and her husband had undergone cancer treatment in the past and understood firsthand the tyranny of distance for people seeking radiotherapy treatment for cancer.
The Davis children Cassandra, Ben and Danielle are their father’s greatest fans.
“We all just think dad is so deserving of this and mum in the way she has been at his side,” Ben said.
“It can be like living on a rollercoaster when your’e in local government and we are all so proud of him because for dad it’s always been about having a go to see if you could make a difference.”
