Merimbula's Bill Deveril receives OAM as part of King's Birthday

It was news to Mr Deveril last week, when he was told he was to be included in the King's Birthday 2023 Honours list to receive an award in the Order of Australia for his service to the communities of Pambula and Merimbula.

"Oh lovely! It's nice that someone's nominated me. I don't know how they've found out," Mr Deveril said.

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It was an award he'd never set out to get, and his nonchalant but gracious acknowledgment proved just that.

"There's so many people in our community that do so much work. And I'm very fortunate that someone's singled me out - maybe because I'm getting old," he laughed.

"It's nice of them, whoever did it. It's not something you do to get awards. You do it because you're trying to help the community."

And at 84 years old, Mr Deveril had certainly provided more than his fair share of help to the community during his life in Merimbula.

READ MORE ABOUT BILL DEVERIL

Be it helping to reform the Pambula Surf Club after it had folded following the Second World War, being on the founding committee of the Pambula Merimbula Golf Club or even being involved in the first Jazz Festival in Merimbula - Mr Deveril was an embodiment of community spirit.

Mr Deveril was born in Merimbula, before his family moved to the Blue Mountains when he was three years old where he would later attend boarding school.

After a 12-month stint in Sydney with his parents after boarding school, his parents returned to Merimbula where his dad worked as a painter.

"The best thing he [Mr Deveril's father] ever did was decide to move back to Merimbula," Mr Deveril said.

Little did Mr Deveril know, he'd spend the rest of his life living there - marrying and having two children who would have kids of their own that would also grow up and call Merimbula home.

Mr Deveril followed in his father's footsteps and became a painter as well, before a career change in the later stages of his working life.

"Fortunately I married a lady who opened the first shoe shop in Merimbula and that was very successful and then I bought a charter boat which was the first charter boat to work out of Merimbula.

"In 1992 I started because they'd opened the lake up to allow charter boats to operate over bars and I had the word from a local member that it was going to happen so I got in early."

It wasn't long into his working life that Mr Deveril began to get involved in different clubs and committees in the area, one of which being the Pambula Surf Club.

"We reformed the club. I think it was 1957 or 1958. We had five or six members in those days, but we ran it and saved a few people here and there, which is what it's all about." he said.

"I've always been a big fan of the Surf Life Saving Association.

"When you pull a few people out of the sea and there's a possibility they might have drowned you think, well that's good I've done my job."

Mr Deveril would later be awarded with a 50-year medal from the state centre of the Surf Life Saving Association.

Another cause close to his heart was Merimbula's Twyford Hall, where he served as the committee's president among other roles for 20 years.

"I've always been very community minded and the hall is a community hall and I got onto that with a very good committee.

"Fortunately it just kept going and then we built the theatre beside it and together with a guy called John Stewart we were the instigators of building that theatre.

Stepping aside from the committee a couple of years ago, Mr Deveril said it was important in all of the committees he'd served on to step aside completely when deciding to do so.

"I saw people in my previous years who'd pretend they were out and still want to run the show from outside and I thought 'I'm not going to be one of them'. When you're out you're out.

"You don't want to interfere with them, but if they want to come and ask me I'll be very obliged to suggest things," he said.

Fast forward to today, and while Mr Deveril is no longer involved with the committees he spent so many years dedicating time towards, he reflected fondly on what he'd achieved.

"I just like to put my bit in. And I think I'm fortunate I like to listen as much as talk. You need everybody to have their say.

"It's good to see things happen, that you've helped to make happen.

"Most places in Australia the communities are very good. They work for their own area and it's great that people do that," he said.

Community however was still a major part of Mr Deveril's life, now from the comfortable seat of his beloved Mitchies Jetty, which he bought back in 1975.

"I like to just sit here and look out. I talk to my friends and strangers might come up and ask a question and you talk to them and explain things about the town and tell them whatever you want to know.

"I keep my eye on what's going on in the community and I still get on well with all the committees and the local surf clubs," he said.

Twyford Hall

President, and a range of committee roles, 20 years.

Pambula Surf Life Saving

A range of volunteer roles including Club Captain, 1965-1968. Life Member, 1977.

Pambula/Merimbula Golf Club

Foundation Member, 1965. Board Member, 10 years.

Spectrum Theatre Group

President, 5 years. Foundation Member, 1974.