THE Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) awarded two shire committees of management last Tuesday, while one volunteer was awarded for over 20 years of service to a local caravan park.

Around 30 attended the event at the Richardson Pavilion in Myrtleford, where DEECA regional manager for land and built environment Gini Harris gave out awards to management committees in the Alpine Shire and Rural City of Wangaratta, recognising their efforts in helping communities recover from floods over recent years.

The Myrtleford Recreation Reserve committee and Wandiligong Preservation Society were awarded, as was Mongans Bridge Caravan Park volunteer Elwyn Ried.

Awards were also given to the Oxley Recreation Reserve Committee of Management, the Milawa Recreation Reserve Committee and the Painters Island Committee of Management.

The Myrtleford Recreation Committee was the first to be recognised, with Ms Harris commending their efforts to renew the reserve, including renovating the Richardson Pavilion, upgrading a kitchen in the cattle pavilion, overseeing the installation of a new amenities block and the installation of two new horseman arenas.

She said the committee was also nominated for the award because of their efforts to repair damage following flooding in October 2022.

“It includes things like improving the main roadway drainage and installation of swale drains which we all would have benefited from today when coming in,” she said.

Committee chair Allan McGuffie thanked his committee members for their hard work.

“It's not about me, it's about all of us,” he said.

“It's about the amount of hours you have to do to get these things right, and you pass that on to the next custodian.”

After handing out the other awards, Ms Harris finished with a particular acknowledgement of Albury resident Elwyn Ried for her long years volunteering for the park.

Despite growing up in Yackandandah, Ms Ried has a long connection to Mongans Bridge, and she said some of her ancestors settled in Running Creek.

She visited the park as a child, then later became a volunteer assisting her husband who was a committee member.

She later became a member herself, from 2001 to 2022.

“When you went up there for a weekend, there was jobs waiting for you, but we enjoyed it,” she said.

“It has changed a lot, but the friendliness is still there and people that come for holidays are still willing to work, do some jobs.”