Posthumous presentation of inaugural award

Stephen Jamieson, timberman and 25-year veteran firefighter who lost his life in January, has been posthumously awarded the inaugural Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) Lifetime Service Award.
Stephen, of Jamieson Bros Timber in Bendoc, Victoria (a VAFI member), was tragically killed in when his dozer rolled while fighting summer bushfires.
The award was made at the VAFI annual dinner which was attended by 200 people including guests Joe Helper, Minister for Agriculture; Simon Ramsay, President, Victorian Farmers Federation; Peter Harris, Secretary, Department of Sustainability & Environment; Richard Bolt, Secretary, Department of Primary Industries and Peter Walsh, Deputy Leader of the Nationals.
Former AFL player and media personality Sam Kekovich was Master of Ceremonies, entertaining the dinner guests with his irreverent and comedic style.
Timber Communities Australia chief executive officer Jim Adams said when presenting the Lifetime Award that Stephen Jamieson had, in an all too short life, made a huge contribution to his community, the industry and indeed the broader Australian community.
“I first met Stephen in 1981 when I had just graduated from the Victorian School of Forestry and was posted to Bendoc by the then Victorian Forestry Commission.
“Stephen and his brother Ray were among the first people around my own age that I met when I arrived and we became and remain close friends.
“Stephen was a quite achiever. When I first met Stephen he and Raymond were running a spot mill cutting fencing palings with a mill designed and constructed by their father Roy out of bicycle chains and sprockets.
“This made Stephen and Raymond the fourth generation of Jamiesons to be sawmillers in Bendoc,” Adams told the gathering.
Stephen had been a member of the CFA for 25 years, and as well was an avid trout fisherman and member of the Bendoc Angling Association.
“Small towns like Bendoc get things done through chook raffles and working bees, and Stephen was always the first to volunteer his time for a working bee or a load of firewood for a raffle.
“Probably the most significant thing that Stephen did for his community was to keep the Bendoc sawmill open and operating,” Adams said.
“Many in this room would know that over the past 20 years it has been no easy task in Victoria. Many in this room would also understand the significance and have shared the responsibility carried by Stephen of being the only significant employer in town and knowing that if you give up the whole community will suffer.
“The harvesting and sawmilling business operated by Stephen and Raymond continues to employ and provide the primary and in some cases off-farm income for some 30 people who together underpin the survival of the Bendoc community.
“Stephen was survived by his wife Shirley, his daughters Kirsty and Amy and his son Todd. Tragically, not five months after we lost Stephen we also lost Kirsty at just 16 years of age to a heart condition.
“It is testimony to the individual strength of Stephen’s wife Shirley, Raymond and Cleo that they have been able to maintain the Jamieson Brothers businesses in these circumstances,” said Adams..
Other awards made on the night were:
Department of Primary Industries Innovation Award, won by ITC Limited Pty Ltd – presented to Vince Hurley.
EPA Victoria, Environmental Sustainability Award, won by McCormack Demby Timbers – presented to Gary Demby and Greg McCormack.
Timber Training Creswick, Occupational Health and Safety Award, won by Auswest Timbers – presented to Nick Murray.
Regional Development Victoria, Local Community Engagement Award, won by Arbuthnot Sawmills – presented to Paul Madden.