Brimbank’s Citizen of the Year is “blown away” to receive an honour that caps off a lifetime of community work in the area.
Rod Boyd was announced as the winner of the award at last week’s presentations, but was unable to receive his gong in person after suffering a back injury – but he told Star Weekly it was a huge honour.
“I honestly thought, ‘What hope have I got?’ – so when I heard I had won I was blown away,” Mr Boyd said.
“It was a huge thrill for me and my family. My grand-daughter has already told me I have to come to her class with the award for show and tell.”
Mr Boyd has played a number of roles in Brimbank, including serving in the police force in the 1970s and as a radio announcer with 3UZ. For the past 21 years, he has been the general manager of community radio station Stereo 974.
Stereo 974 has grown into a multicultural broadcaster, with shows in 12 different languages.
Mr Boyd has also implemented a small business program for young offenders at Port Phillip Prison, with his “Doin’ Time” program selling T-shirts to raise money for charity. To date, it has raised more $150,000.
“I want them (prisoners) to come out of there as better people who are good community citizens, and we’ve had a lot of success with that,” Mr Boyd said.
