Graeme Trickey has been awarded life membership of the Stawell Golf Club after 15 years of service on the Club's committee.

After receiving the award, Trickey said he was proud of the work he has completed to help rebuild the golf club.

"It has been a team effort for what the course has been able to achieve," he said.

"I have reached the point where I have achieved what I have wanted to do and to make sure we have a golf course I can play on.

"It was all about creating a culture of volunteering."

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During his time on the committee Trickey has helped secure funding for course redevelopment after floods in 2011, funding for clubhouse development and putting events and tournaments in place to help generate funding.

He also helped improve the Club's bottom line by encouraging volunteering for course maintenance.

"We were playing people and as part of the austerity measures we decided we weren't going to pay anyone to look after the course," he said.

"We needed a huge amount of volunteers and that flowed on around the course."

Trickey said he returned to Stawell in the 1980s and wanted to play golf to keep active.

But over time help was needed to make sure the Stawell Golf Club was stable

"I was told we are dire straits and in debt up to our ears and I thought about it and came back to Stawell to retire and I needed to make sure I had a place to play golf," he said.

"I decided to go on the committee and I was appointed as secretary and have been doing it ever since.

"I was an all-round hopeless sportsman and I was getting older so I couldn't play football anymore and most of my mates were out playing golf or tennis.

"It is probably one of the most challenging sports because the better you get the harder they make it for you.

"I have always been community minded and like to be around people."

Trickey said after the challenges of the past few years, he was looking forward o stepping away from the secretary's role and enjoying a break.

"Now I want to be able to do other things and go away for a bit," he said.

"It would help if we could find another secretary for 12 months for so.

"I love the enjoyment of being out here with other people. Even though it is an individual sport you get a real sense of companionship and camaraderie.

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