Winners and Presenters of the 2009 the Office of Rail Heritage Volunteer Awards From left to right. Back Row: Phil O'Regan, Phil Horwell, Bruce Sanders, Allan Watson, Richard Mulvaney, Rob Mason Middle Row: Graham Harper, Bruce Agland, Graham Ball, Tony Gogarty, Col Burns, Stephen Buck, John Redman, Peter Anderson Front Row: John Mackie, Janice Thornton, Elizabeth Crouch, Beverly Redman, Marianne Hammerton

On the 27th July 2009 the Office of Rail Heritage Volunteer Awards were held at the Powerhouse Museum. The Awards are part of the NSW Government's commitment to recognising the ongoing contribution which volunteers make to telling the State's rail story. Ten individuals and five groups from eight organisations across NSW received awards which were presented by the RailCorp CEO Rob Mason and Elizabeth Crouch Chairperson of the RailCorp Board

Volunteers play a key role in preserving and sustaining State owned rail heritage assets. The Rail Heritage Volunteer awards program recognises the outstanding performance of individuals and groups in the following categories:
- Life time achievement
- Customer service
- Leadership and management (or organisational development)
- Community relationship building
- Rail Heritage conservation, preservation, restoration or reconstruction
- Encouragement

The Office of Rail Heritage sets the criteria and coordinates the receipt of nominations and judging process. The nominations were judged by a panel including the Director of the Ipswich Rail Museum and the Chief Executive of the NSW Centre for Volunteering. All the award recipients were assessed on the merit of their nomination and were unanimously recommended by the panel.

The awards ceremony was attended by the award recipients, representatives of all volunteer run groups caring for the State's rail heritage assets and a selection of other invited guests with a shared interest in rail heritage.

Lifetime achievement:

• Graham Ball, NSW RTM Thirlmere and Rail Motor Society
• Bruce Agland, The Rail Motor Society
  
• John Mackie (snr), Lachlan Valley Railway Society
  
• Ian Thornton, NSW RTM Thirlmere and Zig Zag Railway (Posthumous)

Customer Service

• Stephen Williams, NSWRTM
  
• Railway Resource Centre Volunteers, ARHS NSW

Leadership, management or organisational development:

• Graham Harper, ARHS NSW and Zig Zag Railway
  
• Peter Anderson, ARHS ACT

Community relationship building

• Wagga Wagga Rail Heritage Association
  
• Cooma Monaro Railway

Rail Heritage conservation, preservation, restoration or reconstruction

• Powerhouse Museum Loco 3265 Restoration Team Volunteers
• Valley Heights Loco Depot Heritage Museum - Retirees Group

Encouragement

• David Malcolm, ARHS ACT
  
• Colin Wilmot, NSWRTM
  
• John & Beverley Redman, The Rail Motor Society