Local honoured with Order of Australia Award for his amazing contribution towards the Busselton Jetty

One of the founding members of Save the Jetty, a community group dedicated to preserving the iconic Busselton Jetty, has been honoured with a prestigious Order of Australia. Trevor FitzGerald is a local legend and a distinguished advocate for preservation and community engagement in restoring the now heritage listed Busselton Jetty. The honour highlights Mr FitzGerald’s incredible achievements and his ongoing dedication to the town. “I never expected this,” he said. “I grew up on the jetty as a kid and it’s always been part of me and it’s been very good to me, so I like to give back when I can.” Trevor FitzGerald served as the esteemed president of the Busselton Jetty Environment and Conservation Association for three years and his commitment was exemplified during his 40-year executive involvement with the organisation. As a volunteer he dedicated countless hours to the cause, serving as treasurer for nine years and vice president for another nine years. Mr FitzGerald said fishing on the Busselton Jetty was a core memory of his childhood and was one of the reasons he was so passionate about the landmark. “We were very poor growing up and we had to subsidise our meals, so we would fish for our dinner on the jetty and we would eat what we caught,” Mr FitzGerald said. The Order of Australia award recognises Mr FitzGerald’s incredible and substantial contributions to the community, environmental stewardship and heritage preservation. “It’s all a bit of a shock, but it’s very nice to put something back into your town,” he said. Busselton Jetty chair Barry House said the accolade was well deserved. “The Busselton Jetty family are extremely proud and pleased that Trevor, a life member of our organisation, has been recognised in this year’s Order of Australia list and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mr FitzGerald on receiving this prestigious honour,” he said. “His contribution has been vital to saving and preserving Busselton’s most important asset for the future.”