Jannali volunteer Eric Tam was honoured at Government House this month for his dedication and contributions to the community.
He was there for the St John Ambulance NSW Investiture Ceremony on May 20, presented with an award by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley.
It was part of National Volunteer Week.
St John Ambulance NSW has more than 3000 volunteers who contribute about 300,000 hours to their communities each year.
This year, the theme was 'Better Together', acknowledging that volunteering brings people together and changes communities for the better.
In 2021, St John Ambulance NSW volunteers were deployed to support frontline COVID-19 efforts throughout the pandemic. They helped at quarantine clinics, airport temperature testing, and played a critical role in the vaccination roll-out.
Most recently, they were stationed in the state's far north region to assist with the flood crisis, working at evacuation centres and providing medical and psychological first aid.
Mr Tam has been volunteering with St John Ambulance NSW for more than 22 years. He received the The Order of St John Award, in recognition of going above and beyond to dedicate his time, effort and expertise to helping others.
Membership within The Order of St John is an honour sanctioned by the Governor-General on behalf of The Order's Sovereign Head, Queen Elizabeth II.
"I first joined St John Ambulance NSW 25 years ago as a means to give back to the country that has given me so much since I first immigrated to Australia," he said.
"I love that volunteering has given the opportunity to give back to my community, learn new skills and form strong friendships. My time volunteering with St John has allowed me to branch out into many different areas such as leadership, emergency management, operational planning, communications and more advanced first aid skills."
Run by the Centre of Volunteering, the awards are open to nominations in eight categories including young, adult, senior, club, employee, team and leader of the year.
Nominations close on June 17 at 5pm.