This year, locals including a former Socceroo and a solicitor have been recognised for their contributions with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
The late Allan Garside, who passed away in 2021 at 94-years-old, has received acknowledgement for his service to football.
Formerly of Granville, Garside spent much of his life on the football field, whether it was a player or as a coach. He played for Granville Kewpies from 1937 to 1942, before playing for the Granville Magpies from 1943 to 1958, eventually becoming a coach for the Granville Kewpies.
During this time he also became a Socceroo, making his ‘A’ team international debut against South Africa in October 1955. He would also play an additional four ‘B’ internationals between 1953 and 1957, scoring three goals.
For his son, Alan Garside, the OAM is something he is very proud of his father for receiving, although it did come as a bit of a surprise at first.
“It’s such a fantastic award to achieve and I don’t know who the [nominator] was, so eventually that will come out,” Alan said.
“He would have been very humbled and very proud; of course he was a very quiet person and kept to himself and certainly didn’t seem to blow his own trumpet.”
Garside was also a milkman for the Granville area, as well as an avid cricket player throughout his life. But there was just something about the game of football that he couldn’t resist.
“He just loved playing, he reckoned the only reason he went to school was so he could play football in the playground at lunch time,” Alan said about his father.
“He just loved the game.”
Due to his contribution to Granville football, the Granville & Districts Soccer Football Association now hold the annual Allan Garside Cup for U-15 mixed teams.
Local football also runs in the family’s blood, with Garside Park, the former home ground of the Granville Magpies, named in honour of Allan’s father, Frank Sr.
Susai Benjamin, a resident of Toongabbie since 1987, is also being recognised for his service to the law and to the community. As the Acting Principal Solicitor and Honorary Director of the Toongabbie Legal Centre, Benjamin said it was nice to get the recognition.
“I felt that the work that’s been done by my team and myself has been recognised in some way,” he said.
Passionate about providing the local community with support through the Toongabbie Legal Centre, Benjamin said he believes people should be contributing to the welfare of other people.
“Society feels a sense of security when there’s a police station, fire service [and] ambulance service nearby, similarly society would also feel much more secure if there’s a free legal service nearby.”
1,191 Australians have been recognised in the Honours List.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.