Wednesday, 3 January, 2018
Pakenham
/PakenhamBerwickGazette
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Dedicated to duty 2017 PEOPLE OF THE YEAR By Bonny Burrows
The late Sergeant Ken Rich is one of the Gazette's 2017 People of the Year.
ral to him to help others,” Jacinta said. “Helping the community reflected on his job as well. People in the community would seek dad’s advice on police matters because of his knowledge as a police officer for so long.” Colourful Mick Morland was the secondlongest serving Casey Council and a muchloved former mayor. His work within the local community was expansive and included, but was not limited to, pushing for a new track for Casey Little Ath-
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letics, an aquatic centre in Narre Warren and the Bunjil Place complex. While serving as a councillor, Mr Morland was running a cleaning business. He would wake at 3am to drive back into town from weekend council conferences to do a cleaning shift. Fellow councillors marvelled at his work effort, but for Mr Morland, it was just what you did. When he received the Medal of the Order of
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Mick Morland, one of the Gazette's 2017 People of the Year, sadly died before the opening of Bunjil Place, a project he had pushed for.
Australia in January 2016, Mr Morland told the Gazette that all his years of service had made him realise how many people did not put their hands up to help the community. “I always believed that if you want to be involved in your community you have to put in the time and effort,” Mr Morland said. Outside of council, he was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was also a long-time Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, a passionate Tigers supporter and a Beaconsfield premiership player and reserves coach. As past Rotary Club of Berwick President Mark Caulfield described him, Mr Morland was the true definition of a Rotarian, someone who gave his community his all. Tragically, Sergeant Rich and Mr Morland are no longer with us. Continued on page 4
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Mick Morland and Ken Rich should not be remembered for their tragic deaths, but rather their life-long efforts in making the Casey Cardinia region a better place to live. Lives selflessly dedicated to helping others, both lost in 2017 in freak accidents. They would have crossed paths in their efforts for the community, but did not know each other well. Yet their combined deeds have earned them the title of joint Gazette People of the Year for 2017. A police officer of 38 years, Sergeant Rich would split his time between that as an officer, a father of five, a keen cyclist, and as “Coach Ken”, the beloved swimming instructor at Cardinia Life. As daughter Jacinta put it, he was always doing something to help others - be it volunteering at local sporting matches, fund-raising for community groups or advocating for the building of the Cardinia Life swimming pool, of which he was instrumental. Sergeant Rich always put others first, and was always willing to step up and lend a hand. When the Cardinia Piranhas Swimming Club, of which his daughters were members, faced closure in 1999, Sergeant Rich underwent coaching courses to become head coach and president, ultimately saving the club from extinction. “Helping people was in his nature during work and outside of work. Because dad was in the police force for so long it just became natu-