Allan Haggarty to receive the Member of the Order of Australia title for lifelong community spirit

He's a man who is renowned for his tireless volunteer work around town, and Mr Haggarty said his community-mindedness comes from his family, who always inspired him to serve others.

"It was part of the family ethics," Mr Haggarty said.

"My mother told me never to seek any reward or recognition for anything you do, and she volunteered until she was 95 years old."

Another great source of inspiration for Mr Haggarty was his grandfather, who once took two years off of work as a builder in order to help construct his local church with his own two hands.

Mr Haggarty vividly remembers visiting his grandfather's workshop at the age of 11 and marvelling at the lovingly handcrafted wooden pews and window frames.

That kind of spirit of self sacrifice has characterised Mr Haggarty's entire life, having volunteered for a wide range of groups across a broad spectrum of interests.

As an avid car-enthusiast Mr Haggarty has been working tirelessly for the Council of Heritage Motor Clubs New South Wales Griffith branch to help bring in the coolest cars and the biggest rallies into the region.

As the Griffith Rally director he helped run the wildly successful Irrigation Wonderland Vintage Car Rally, which put Griffith back onto the Australian vintage car rally scene.

He's also volunteered his time and energy for organisations such as the Griffith Visitor Centre, Genealogical Society, Civic Centre Working Group, and Council of Heritage Motor Clubs, just to name a few.

Mr Haggarty campaigned hard to get a decent FM radio signal into Griffith, and he also worked tirelessly to promote classical concerts and bring the sound of music into the region.

For his day-job he worked as a lawyer, and his hard work was recognised when he was dubbed an honorary life member of the Riverina Law Society in 2006.

He retired at the age of 65, whereupon he became even more active in the community during his post-retirement years.

"One of the reasons I retired was because one day I thought to myself - gee, there's things I want to get involved in that I haven't had time to do," he said.

"So far it's been good."

He's been an active member of Griffith U3A, where he continues to pursue his lifelong love of learning, share his knowledge with his fellow retirees, and forge close friendships along the way.

Mr Haggarty is 78 years old, but he still has the same bright eyes, curious mind, and burning community spirit that he's always had.

He says he's also in pretty good shape, health-wise, which he attributes to his active lifestyle and his long list of community activities.

"I think it's important to stay active physically and mentally, and to have a purpose in life," Mr Haggarty said.

"If you're going to retire you've got to have a plan, and it's got to be meaningful."

Even to this day Mr Haggarty doesn't know who nominated him for the award. Given just how many community groups he's been involved with, the list of suspects is a long one.

READ MORE

Our free weekly newsletters are emailed at 6am straight to your inbox, sign up here.