Talk to any Canowindra local and there's a good chance they can list one of the many contributions Tommy Jeffs has made to the town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's this dedication to his community that has seen Mr Jeffs named Canowindra's Citizen of the Year at the 2021 Australia Day ceremony.
After receiving an OAM in 2020, Mr Jeffs said it was an honour to be recognised by the community this year.
"This is a great honour, I'm very overwhelmed with this," he said.
Despite being raised in Cowra, Mr Jeffs said he was a "Canowindra local" now after moving to the town and purchasing a coffee shop eight years ago before moving onto owning and operating Montrose House.
"It was the greatest honour to get the chance to come over here and get the coffee shop, I've loved it and Montrose House," he said.
"We're very, very lucky in this town. It's a really great little town that works together.
"It's very, very pleasurable to get out there and mix with everybody and people get behind anything that you do."
Among his many achievements noted by Cabonne Council, including making meals for residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to raise more than $120,000 for various community causes and beautifying the main street by encouraging shop front displays, Mr Jeffs said he was grateful to work alongside community members for the betterment of Canowindra.
"I'm a very proud Lions member, we're getting more and more new members," he said.
"We've been working on the cemetery, which was a little bit untidy... with the help of Cabonne Council, who've been wonderful... Swinging Bridge, we cleaned that up last year.
"We're very, very lucky. This has made my life, thank you very much."