Cobram local Peter Edgar has been awarded the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia.
Photo by
Abby Green
Cobram born and bred, Peter Edgar, is a pillar of the community.
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He has lived most of his life in Cobram, where he’s raised a family, started a business and been involved in many local causes.
For his enduring commitment to the Cobram community, Mr Edgar has been awarded the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia.
“I’m a bit awestruck,” he said.
“It's certainly an honour.
“I think the main thing is you do the community work because you want to, and also you're surrounded by a lot of people that help you.
“Something like this is really on behalf of many people, but to get it as a single person, it’s tremendous.”
Mr Edgar was the secretary of the Victorian Railway Tenants Action Committee, which was formed in 1987 to represent leaseholders and shires.
The committee was instrumental in preventing the sale of local land and buildings; Mr Edgar spent three years fighting for this.
“We had monthly meetings in Melbourne, which resulted down to weekly meetings in Melbourne, and we had newsletters out every week,” he said.
Peter Edgar was the secretary of the Victorian Railway Tenants Action Committee, which was formed in 1987 and put out weekly newsletters.
Photo by
Abby Green
“It was a hard slog,” he said.
“We saved the land from the Murray Valley Hwy right up to West Motors, which today is all gardens and trees.
“That was probably the hardest thing I ever did and the most rewarding.”
Mr Edgar has been a member of the Cobram Barooga Kiwanis Club for more than 40 years, and in that time has been both treasurer and secretary.
He was given the Legion of Honour award for services to the community of Kiwanis and he also received the Rotary Citizen of the Year award in 2022.
Other achievements include starting the Bendigo Building Society in 1978 and getting his auctioneer’s licence.
“I've done countless community and sporting auctions over the last 50 years,” he said.
Mr Edgar worked as a fire and general insurance broker for 52 years and said he loved it.
“I met a lot of great people, had a great time,” he said.
“I was very lucky in life I found something I love doing.”
Mr Edgar was married to his wife, Margaret, for 54 years. They had five children together and 17 grandchildren.
He now has a beautiful, eight-month-old border collie named Rascal to keep him company.
When asked what made him stay in Cobram all these years, Mr Edgar simply replied: “It’s got incredible community spirit.”
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