Long-time resident and councillor Sam David has been recognised for his service to the community spanning two decades.
Councillors paid their congratulations to Cr David after he received the Councillor Service Award from the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) for 20 years of service as councillor.
As councillors took a moment to give their personal congratulations to Cr David at the most recent council meeting – a common thread of Cr David’s commitment to the community emerged.
Brimbank mayor Bruce Lancashire described Cr David as an ‘institution’ within Brimbank.
“There is nothing worse than walking through the Sunshine shopping centre with councillor David and it’s every second person noticing him, he has that sort of recognition amongst the community,” he said.
Councillor Ranka Rasic said Cr David has been dedicated to both his community and council.
“I know councillor David to be a very community orientated man who has given so much of his time and effort and attention to our area, and so many community members are grateful for this,” she said.
The Councillor Service Award is conferred by the MAV in recognition of long serving councillors. MAV president, Cr David Clark, said serving the community through local government was a unique responsibility.
“Communities need dedicated individuals, like those receiving these awards, who are willing to give their time and energy to serve in the best interests of the people and their local communities,” he said.
“Being a councillor can sometimes be a thankless task. We think it’s important, as the peak body for the local government sector, to provide this recognition.“
Accepting his congratulations with grace, an emotional Cr David thanked the community for allowing him to work for them over the years.
“I still think it was like yesterday – 20 years ago,” he said.
Hannah Hammoud
