A FORMER Welby man is making his mark in central Australia.
Dean Griffiths is a fourth generation Southern Highlander who was recently recognised for his community works in his new hometown of Alice Springs.
Mr Griffiths recently took out the Centralian Citizenship Award for Alice Springs and went on the win the 2010 Northern Territory Achiever of the Year award.
The honours come on the tail of two other major awards won by Mr Griffiths last year.
He was recognised for his community contributions in July last year with the highest Apex Club accolade, the Ewen Laird Apexian of the Year Award.
Mr Griffiths first secured the award in the Northern Territory and South Australia category and then went on to win at a national level.
His achievements should be of little surprise to those familiar with Mr Griffiths or the community-minded ethic he gained from his family in the Southern Highlands.
The former Chevalier College student developed his sense of community watching his parents and grandparents “do their bit” for Highlands organisations including the Country Women’s Association and Mittagong Rugby League Club.
In fact the Griffiths family has ties to the Southern Highlands that date back to the mid-late 1800s.
A keen sportsman, Mr Griffiths was involved in the Mittagong Hockey Club as a committee member and coach.
He decided to spread his wings about 10 years ago with plans to travel Australia.
It was a journey that took him as far as Alice Springs where he met his wife, Michelle, and settled down.
And he wasted no time becoming involved in his new hometown.
“I tended to swap my sporting interests for community interests once I moved to the Northern Territory,” he said.
The last year has been something of a whirlwind of great moments for Mr Griffiths who also became a proud first time father to twin boys, Charlie and Digby, on January 15.
The young additions should keep Mr Griffiths on his toes as he continues his role as the driving force of the Apex Club of Central Australia.
But these days his Apex role is made easier after a successful membership drive led by Mr Griffiths saw the flailing club go from four to 20 members in recent years.
Mr Griffiths has contributed more than 300 personal service hours to the community through his role as club president.
He was instrumental in the success of gaining the rights to manage the bar at the Master’s Games conducted in Alice Springs last year, co-ordinating the workforce for this task.
This event significantly boosted the coffers of the Apex Club of Central Australia to the amount of $68,000 and has paved the way for several contributions to the community including new playgrounds and support of cancer services.
“It’s been one hell of a roller coaster ride over the past year,” Mr Griffiths said.
“I was proud to win the two Apex awards, but the achiever awards were a little caught up in the excitement of becoming a father for the first time.
“However, the sense of pride kicked in when I stepped up to receive the Northern Territory Achiever Award in Darwin.
“My wife couldn’t be there for the presentation because she was caring for two new sons, but my brother was there with me.”
Mr Griffiths said he never chose to do community work for the accolades, but it was nice to be recognised for your efforts.
“Community work is something that has been instilled in me by my family,” he said.
“I like the warm fuzzy feeling I get from helping others.
“The awards are a bonus, but certainly not the reason I do what I do.”
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