LIFELONG Cloncurry resident Joe Bakhash does not know if he is the first person from his hometown to receive an Order of Australia Medal.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“Mate, I’m just an ordinary bloke. I really don’t know if I’m the first; that’s not important. What is really important is I hope I won’t be the last,” he said.
“There’s just too many good people down this way for me to be the first or last.”
Mr Bakhash, in his early 60s, was presented his award by Queensland Governor Paul de Jersey at a special ceremony on Friday night in Townsville.
“It was daunting, I can tell you,” Mr Bakhash said.
“Lucky, I had my wife and children with me to settle the nerves.”
Mr Bakhash, an auxiliary captain with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, said he was “too shocked for words” when he was told he had been nominated for the OAM for services to the Cloncurry community.
Next came the official news he was to receive an OAM, but it had to be all hush-hush until Australia Day this year.
The secrecy bit in the awards process straddles a few months, but Mr Bakhash was comfortable with that.
“That suited me fine; like I said, mate, I’m not a chest-beater. Apart from close family members no one else knew. Even they were sworn to secrecy!”
For Mr Bakhash, Friday night was party time.
Saturday morning was recovery session and the lull before the party storm that night.
He wasn’t looking forward to driving home on Sunday to report for work on Monday – as he has done since 1970 - where “I’ll be plain Joe Bakhash”.