Giving back to the community was instilled in Keith Sutherland from a young age and with more than six decades of service to the Bendigo community, Mr Sutherland has been bestowed a Medal of the Order of Australia.
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In a lifetime littered with service, Mr Sutherland was most recently the chairman of the Bendigo Health Foundation between 2015 to 2019 and a member of fundraising committees for the Red Cross Bali Appeal, Australian Cancer Council and Lifeline Bendigo.
"When I found out I was to receive an OAM, I burst out crying," Mr Sutherland said.
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Mr Sutherland discovered that his wife Karen, with the help of a friend, had compiled a list of his achievements.
"I have kept a scrapbook that contains 50 to 60 years worth of newspaper clippings and information from when I was involved in local government and community initiatives," he said.
"When I'd go to the gym, my wife would go through the scrapbooks and note what I was involved in."
A founding member and former chairman of Bendigo Publishing Company, a Huntly Council shire member, president and life member of Bendigo Apex and fundraiser involved in more than 300 events are among Mr Sutherland's achievements.
Professionally, Mr Sutherland is director of Sutherland Property Bendigo and a former director of Tweed Sutherland Real Estate from 1976 to 2009.
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