Club Industry Veteran Receives King’s Birthday Honour

NSW club industry stalwart Michael Fraser has been honoured in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list.

The former Deputy Chairman of ClubsNSW, and former Chairman and Life Member of Twin Towns Services Club, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the communities of Tweed Heads and Coolangatta.

Michael was first elected as a Director of Twin Towns on 21 June 1981, going on to serve as the Deputy Chairman in 1993 and Chairman in 2007.

He retired in September 2020 after nearly 40 years of service to the Club, and began his retirement life by embarking on travels with wife Joceyln.

“I am sure that all members who were fortunate to know him will agree that he is one of nature’s true gentlemen, a man of great integrity and honesty but also very humble,” said Club Chairman Brian Brown at the time of Mr Fraser’s retirement in 2020.

Michael was also heavily involved in the wider club industry through his role on the ClubsNSW Board.

He was first appointed to the Board in June 2009, and subsequently re-elected in 2009, 2012 and 2015, including serving as Deputy Chairman under the late Peter Newell OAM, before retiring from the Board in 2018.

Away from clubs, Michael owned and operated a number of small businesses in Tweed Heads and Coolangatta and actively contributed the Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary at local and District level where he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow.