DEDICATED and hard-working were two of the words used to describe Leeton's mayor Paul Maytom when he received a special honour on Australia Day.
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Councillor Maytom received the lifelong citizen to the shire award in recognition of his more than three decades of service to Leeton Shire Council.
The mayor has served on council for a huge 33 years and is known for his passion to help others, as well as being a voice for the community when it comes to issues of all kinds, big and small.
In accepting his award, Cr Maytom described the shire as being a great community to live and work in.
"I came here in 1967 to pick fruit and I had no intention of staying here ... I was going to earn some money and head off to New Zealand and travel a bit, but my life changed quite substantially," he said.
"By staying here I worked for many years and met my wife Julie, who is from Leeton, very early on.
"I am so glad I stayed and I wouldn't have it any other way."
As well as his extensive duties and achievements as mayor and councillor, Cr Maytom said his family was his biggest achievement.
Now retired from the workforce, Cr Maytom held many positions over the years at SunRice, the Letona Cannery and his early days as a fruit picker.
"I hadn't heard of Leeton before I came here ... but when I got here and had a look around it seemed like a nice place to live and I wasn't wrong," he said.
"I'm immensely proud of the town.
"When I was elected (to council) in 1987, I felt gratified I had the support of the community to go in and represent as a councillor and do my best to make our town a better place to live."
The mayor is known for his humanitarian efforts, assisting refugees in the shire, his commitment to farmers and growers, his passion for sport and his down-to-earth nature.
He said the lifelong citizen to the shire honour was something he would never forget.
"We still have more to do, but we can feel extremely proud of what we have in our community," Cr Maytom said.
"It's certainly not all about me and it's certainly not all about the councillors or council staff, but we try to guide and give direction.
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"One thing I do appreciate in our society is the goodwill of so many people. We have people from all walks of life, young and old, who are doing so much to keep organisations going, to do a whole host of things to make sure we have a beautiful place to live in.
"It's been a pleasure over all these years. I'm so proud to work for this community."
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