Getting involved in the community has grown into a healthy obsession for Mr Willis and he takes the word ‘dedicated’ to an entirely new level.

Born in Stratford New Zealand, Mr Willis remembers spending his childhood playing outdoors.

He remembers playing in the hay shed as a child, much to his father’s dismay.

As a child, he never would have thought that he’d find himself living in a little country town in Australia.

Now in his 30^th year in Australia, he fondly remembers his first impressions of the town and a welcome from one of Leeton’s many unofficial ambassadors.

“The first time we came to Leeton it was on Anzac Day,” Mr Willis said.

“We came to have a look at the town with the aim of finding a house.

“We got off the plane and Garry Lanham met us at the airport with the hire car.”

Mr Lanham asked if he could ride back into Leeton with Mr Willis and he was happy to oblige and they were given a tour of the town by Mr Lanham.

Mr. Willis initially felt that Leeton appeared to be a quiet ghost town.

“Being as it was Anzac Day it was very, very quiet,” Mr Willis said.

However first impressions aren’t always accurate and he quickly found Leeton to be a very busy place.

“I find Leeton to be a friendly little town,” Mr Willis said.

“I love Leeton and at the end of the day Leeton is home.

“You can make home anywhere you like, but would I rather be anywhere else? No.”

For Mr Willis Leeton is a town that has everything.

“Leeton is a comfortable place to be, we all know our neighbours and we have a very close knit community,” Mr Willis said.

“There is no end to what you can do if you want to get out and do it.”

One his many activities is giving his spare time to help fundraising efforts that benefit the battle against cystic fibrosis.

He is pleased to have seen the life expectancy more than double and likes to feel that his efforts have played a small role in that.