Horsham community leader Les Power is among nominations for Victorian Regional Achievement and Community Awards.

Cr Power, a Horsham municipal councillor and police officer, is in the running for two major accolades – a Regional Development Victoria Leadership and Innovation Award and Awards Australia Community Hero Award.

The community hero award acknowledges ‘individuals making a significant contribution in regional and rural Victoria’ and ‘who, through their actions, have positively impacted the lives of others and their community’.

The leadership and innovation award is based on ‘tenacity, dedication, selflessness, leadership and innovative thinking’ and is for a person who ‘overcomes significant difficulty, adversity or hardship to achieve excellent outcomes and raise pride in the community and state’.

Cr Power, who has lived in Horsham for 45 years and been a police officer for 18, joined Horsham Rural City Council in 2016.

He is heavily involved in community groups including the Blue Ribbon Foundation, Horsham District Football Netball League, YMCA, the former Nexus Youth Centre, junior football and netball groups and the State Emergency Service. 

He is also a supporter of the Wimmera Koori community and strongly promotes community connections and health and wellbeing on community radio program ‘Making Connections’. He has engineered, organised and promoted a variety of leadership programs in young people through sport and culture including regional junior Spirit of Sport awards.

He started the Blue Ribbon Foundation Horsham branch, which has also helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for critical health-service equipment through various activities and events.

Nominations for the awards close on Friday, judging will be on October 7 and organisers have yet to announce a presentation date.

Team effort

News of the nomination took Cr Power by surprise and he was quick to redirect acknowledgement to others he had worked with or knew.

“I wouldn’t have thought I had done anything close to being nominated for such awards,” he said.

“You have blown me out of the water – there are a lot of others out there more deserving than me.

“I just love being part of a community.”

Cr Power was quick to divert attention to the role of the Blue Ribbon Foundation, which raises money for health services while recognising police officers who have died in the line of duty.

“Dale Russell was one of the first members I contacted and he’s been on board with me right from the very start,” he said.

“It’s not just about one person but a lot of people on that committee.

“It’s just an honour to be nominated. 

“I feel very humbled.”

Horsham scientist Surya kant has been nominated for a agricultural innovation award. See next week's The Weekly Advertiser.

The entire August 12, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!