After pushing for what he believed in for over 40 years, Eaglehawk's Paul Penno has received a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
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Recognised for his significant service to veterans and to the local community, Mr Penno said he was humbled by the news.
The full Central Victoria honours list can be found here.
"When I heard that I was being honoured, I just thought it has been 40 years of pushing and pushing for what I believe in," he said.
"The four areas I really focused on in my life were health, education, welfare and veterans and you don't realise when you go through your life and you get involved in different things how much you have actually achieve."
Reflecting on his life, Mr Penno said his determination and passion for local education stands out.
He was council president for Bendigo Senior Secondary School, Eaglehawk Secondary College and Eaglehawk Primary School.
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"I look back when I was council president at Bendigo Senior College and the government tried to close the college and develop two campuses, one in Kangaroo Flat and another in Strathdale.
"I challenged that and had support from the council and we reversed that decision and we felt that it was really important that our young people come into Bendigo and bring it to life to the CBD.
Another battle and stand out for Mr Penno was fighting for Eaglehawk Primary School to stay open.
"It was marked for closure and we advocated that it was ridiculous to close a centrally based school," he said.
"They had uniforms made up and everything and it looked like a done deal but we orchestrated what was real about Eaglehawk and we got that decision reversed and the school ended up getting a six million dollar upgrade."
Mr Penno, an ex-solider in the Vietnam War has held various roles at Bendigo District Sub-Branch RSL and the Welfare and Charitable Committee.
He currently is the president of the Bendigo Vietnam Veterans' Association and is the chairman of the Soldiers Memorial Institute Military Museum.
"I reflect on things and it reminds me that if you do get stuck into an issue you can make a difference.
"If you sit on your backside, nothing will ever change.
"My experience as a soldier in Vietnam in the 60s, I came back thinking that I am not putting up with crap and that it's really useful."
Mr Penno worked for over 30 years as a community based psychiatric nurse where he played an important role in advocating and supporting veterans with mental illness.
"It was a real challenge," he said.
I reflect on things and it reminds me that if you do get stuck into an issue you can make a difference... If you sit on your backside, nothing will ever change."
- Paul Penno
"I was representing a group that was so badly stigmatised, I spent a lot of time developing the community mental health program for the region.
"I was responsible for establishing mental health clinics in Swan Hill and Echuca, Marybourgh and Kyneton in my time.
"I think that was probably the most outstanding thing in my professional life, it was so important."
Mr Penno was a coordinator at the Loddon Campaspe/Mallee Regional Mental Health/Crisis Recovery Service for over 10 years, a former senior clinical nurse, lecturer in health services at La Trobe University and a founding president at St Luke's Mental Health Service.
"Being a mental health professional, I had a clinic in Bendigo for 15 years and I started to get Vietnam veterans coming through," he said.
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"I was really shocked that people sat on bad memories for so long and they never had the opportunity to deal with things.
"When I came on board as a welfare officer at the RSL, I started to think the same thing and it got me really wound up again and I wanted to look at what more could be done.
"Bendigo RSL now has a fully paid health and wellbeing officer."
A fourth generation resident, Mr Penno currently lives in one of the "best places in the world", Eaglehawk.
He still is pushing for change and hopes to continue to advocate for veteran welfare, particularly with the situation around veterans in Afghanistan.
"I have reached a time in my life now where I can live life in a positive way, I have been very fortunate to be part of organisations that have had similar views to what was important," he said.
"I will continue to push for what I believe in and I don't have any regrets in life, if I lived again I wouldn't do anything differently."
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