GROWING up in Eaglehawk, Paul Penno said he gained a \u201cpretty good understanding of what was fair, and what was just\u201d, but it was his return from the Vietnam War that ultimately set off an enduring and diverse devotion to his community.<\/p>\n
\u201cVietnam had an impact on me in terms of not being passive when you think something’s wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped thinking \u2018you can’t make a difference\u2019. And I thought, \u2018get stuck in and have a go at things that you believe you can have an impact on\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, as part of the Queen\u2019s Birthday honours list, Mr Penno has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s held various leadership roles within the Bendigo and Eaglehawk RSL sub-branches for many years, and was a key figure behind the $5.1 million Soldiers Memorial Institute military museum revitalisation project in Pall Mall.<\/p>\n
He is particularly passionate about supporting the new generation of returning war veterans, who are \u201cmaking the transition back to civilian life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s absolutely vital that there is broad-based community support for those veterans,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it’s up to the RSL and veterans support services to lead that move to ensure that there is public awareness of what these people have been through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about the other major themes in his life, Penno nominated health, education, welfare and sport, \u201cpretty much in that order\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a registered psychiatric nurse for over 30 years, which really put me in touch with just how disempowered people with disabilities become,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess that was something that really was a driving force within me. I’ve really been focused very much on public education, public health.\u201d<\/p>\n
In terms of what kind of advice he\u2019d give the next crop of budding community leaders, Penno quite simply said, \u201cYou can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there’s a real sense of \u2018why would you spend your time volunteering, when there’s no reward?\u2019 The reality is, there is a reward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I guess that sums up pretty much how I\u2019ve been motivated over the last 45 years, being involved in public life. There’s a lot of satisfaction to be gained from making a commitment to helping others. Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GROWING up in Eaglehawk, Paul Penno said he gained a \u201cpretty good understanding of what was fair, and what was just\u201d, but it was his return from the Vietnam War that ultimately set off an enduring and diverse devotion to his community. \u201cVietnam had an impact on me in terms of not being passive when […]<\/p>\n