Recently retired Fleet Air Arm Museum manager Terry Hetherington has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to community history.
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Terry Hetherington was appointed to the role as manager and senior curator in August 2006, contributing to his 53-year career in aviation.
He is humble about the important role he played developing the museum.
"I was one of a team. Even though I led the team, it was a great team who worked with me both the staff and the volunteers at the museum," he said.
"I give them a lot of credit for the way the museum has developed in the last 12 to 13 years.
"I'm the fortunate one who's been given the recognition for that so I share that recognition with the people who I worked with and my family."
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For Mr Hetherington, one of his goals during his time at the museum was to ensure the museum developed a good relationship with the local community and council.
"And I believe we did do that - Shoalhaven Council held the local government and shires association convention several years ago and the dinner for those 600 representatives was held in the museum," he said.
"We were able to showcase what the navy is doing in Nowra and what the Fleet Air Arm Museum was doing in preserving navy heritage and the heritage of the local communities involvement with the navy over the last 75 years."
He said he didn't have any special plans to celebrate Australia Day and his honour.
"Normally I would go to the events at the Nowra Showground and that's probably what I'll be doing this year - going to the local activities in and around Nowra."