On Monday, May 27, the Goulburn Valley Health board presented six worthy recipients with the Companion of GV Health Award.
The award was established in 2014 to recognise extraordinary voluntary service to GV Health and the community.
All six recipients were recognised for their voluntary service as trustees of the GV Health Foundation, the official fundraising charity for GV Health.
The event was attended by representatives of the GV Health Board, current trustees of the Foundation, and family and friends of the recipients.
Among the new Companions of GV Health were four original Foundation trustees: Ross McPherson AM, the late Bruce McNeil, John Panton and Dr John Mackellar.
All were instrumental in the late-1980s campaign to raise funds for a new children’s ward at GV Health. The hugely successful campaign secured a surplus of funds, which became the basis for the GV Health Foundation in 1989. The Foundation has since delivered vital equipment and facilities, scholarships, public awareness initiatives and major capital campaigns.
Mr McPherson was honoured especially for his 35 years of continuous service as a trustee, with Mr Mackellar’s service also spanning more than three decades.
Millicent McNeil received the award on behalf of her late husband and former Shepparton Mayor Bruce McNeil. Also honoured were former Shepparton MP, Suzanna Sheed AM, who will mark 30 years as a trustee in August, as well as Graham Hofmeyer, who retired from the Foundation in 2023.
GV Health Board Chair Michael Delahunty expressed GV Health’s gratitude for the contribution of Foundation trustees past and present.
The Companion Award will be presented annually to recognise individuals who volunteer their time, energy and expertise in support of GV Health’s mission.
GV Health Chief Executive Matt Sharp said the event marked a changing of the guard at the Foundation, with a new generation of Foundation trustees proudly continuing the legacy of the Companion Award recipients.
