It gives me great pleasure to advise the Maroondah community that in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, published on Monday 10 June, Cr Tony Dib was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
On behalf of my fellow Councillors, and Maroondah City Council, I am proud of the recognition that has been given to Tony for his services to Local Government and the Community of Maroondah, over many years.
Tony has always believed that you should work hard and contribute to your family, and by extension to your community. His philosophy is to lead by example, and that it is better to give than to receive.
Many of you may not be aware that Tony arrived in Australia as a teenager from Lebanon, working with young people to empower and build resilience as they learned the ways of a new country.
Tony’s significant involvement over many years with Australians of Lebanese descent was recognised in 2015 with an Australia Day Award presented by the Australia Day Council of New South Wales and the United Australian Lebanese Movement.
Tony is a well-known and respected community figure who has achieved success in business, the field of politics, and service to the community. He has raised the awareness and understanding of good citizenship across many cultures and age groups.
His passion for giving back to the community lead him to become involved in local government, and in 1983 he was elected to the former City of Broadmeadows, serving as a Councillor for one term.
He moved to Croydon with his family, and became a Councillor for the City of Maroondah in 2005, a role he continues to this day. During this time, he served as Mayor on four occasions, in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2017, and has contributed to the numerous achievements of the Council that make Maroondah a great place to live.
Council will formally recognise the award of the Medal of the Order of Australia to Cr Tony Dib at the Council Meeting on Monday 15 July, 2019.