The 10 years that Hughenden's Greg Jones put into helping make an aged care centre a reality for that town have been his highlight of a quarter of a century of service so far.
Mr Jones, who served on the Flinders Shire Council for 25 years as a councillor, deputy mayor and then mayor from 2012 to 2016, has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday honours.
His citation was for service to local government and to the community of North Queensland, and Mr Jones has had representation in many areas as part of his local government service.
They include being on the Mount Isa to Townsville Economic Zone, the North West Outback Queensland Tourism Authority, and the Australia Dinosaur Trail Tourist Development.
He chaired the Townsville Local Disaster Management Group, was the former vice chair for the Hughenden District Community Advisory Network, was a president of the Hughenden Chamber of Commerce, and belonged to the North West Queensland Regional Roads and Transport Group.
Mr Jones also gave his time over the years as president of the Hughenden Kindergarten and St Francis Catholic School parent and teachers associations and was a charter member of the town's Lion's Club.
He said he was like everybody in small towns in that you don't expect anything for the work you do.
"It's part and parcel of living in a small community, but this has been very exciting for me," he said.
"Finally getting federal money for the Old People's Home in Hughenden, to go with the $600,000 the community raised and what the council tipped in, was a real highlight for me.
"We started with the aim of helping people to stay in their communities and we've been able to do that."
He's currently serving as a director on the Hughenden Irrigation Project Corporation and said the irrigation and hydropower project was something else he hoped would come to fruition to benefit the wider region.