by Keith Anderson
Neerim Junction couple Faye and Charlie Bransgrove have been named Neerim district's citizens of the year.

The awards and medallions were presented at the annual Australia Day celebrations at Neerim South organised by the Neerim District Community House and Men's Shed.
While the honour was for their hard work for a number of community organisations in the district over a long period, it was their contribution to the Neerim Junction Hall and attached squash courts that stands out.
Living next door to the hall for all of their 54 years of married life made it an obvious choice to get involved as a couple.
Charlie was secretary of what was then known as the Mechanics' Institute, a position he held for 42 years before he took on the presidency for 11 years, a position he stepped down from in 2016.
Faye, only a few years after her arrival in the district, became treasurer of the committee.
It was only this year she retired from the position she held continuously for 53 years.
But Charlie and Faye said it wasn't long after they were married that the committee faced a major challenge.
The old building burned to the ground in the early 1970s and, as was the case with most small country towns, had been the hub of community activities, events, weddings and funerals.
It had to be rebuilt.
A new brick building was built and opened in 1978 with squash courts added, an addition that Faye said was pushed by Charlie who believed they would prove a good source of income to help pay for the new re-named Neerim Junction Hall.
Charlie's reasoning proved correct; a number of teams were formed to play competition squash and, with the hall, were focal points for the community.
Faye stresses that she and Charlie were by no means a two-piece band with many other district residents working tirelessly for the hall.
She rolls her eyes when she thinks of the number of scones and sponges members of the ladies' committee made catering for events at the hall and for other district activities, the Enduro motor bike events at Nayook that drew more than 1000 riders and the annual Neerim Show among them.
As with many small country towns, local halls are no longer the centre of the community. But at Neerim Junction it still plays a key role - although as it was in the days for the highly popular "Function at the Junction" and stage shows for which Charlie was a key behind the scenes for decades managing lighting and the sound system.
Faye says today there are three groups that meet each week at the hall and it regularly hosts significant family milestones and functions after funerals.
The Bransgroves raised three children that all attended the Nayook primary school and also devoted plenty of energy to the school's parents group and the school council.
They were delighted the school, that was named Neerim District Rural Primary School after the Neerim East and Nayook schools amalgamated, re-opened for students this year after it had been de-staffed by the Education Department in 2020 because of insufficient enrolments.