Blackbird skipper Peter Somerville. 76157 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By Charlene Gatt
BLACKBIRD Cruises captain and tireless volunteer Peter Somerville can now add three letters after his name after receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia.
Mr Somerville, who “saw the light and crossed the river” and moved to Footscray in the mid-1980s, has run the Blackbird Cruises along the Maribyrnong River for over 30 years with son Warwick.
The now-Seddon resident is a staunch campaigner for preserving the vegetation and wildlife surrounding the stretch.
Mr Somerville is a member of the Friends of Sandy group and was a founding member and driving force behind the development of the Living Museum of the West.
He has also been involved as an honourary waterways keeper, a contributor in Parks Victoria’s Two River Project, and a member of the Moonee Valley Integrated Waterways Advisory Committee.
In 2010 Mr Somerville was Maribyrnong’s Citizen of the Year.
Mr Somerville said he was honoured to make the Australia Day Honours List.
“I’ve lost the expression that I often use, where I say ‘nobody takes any notice of me, because I’ve got no initials behind my name’. But now, I have OAM, so I won’t be able to say that anymore,” he laughed.
“It’s like something that’s come out of the blue, because when you do all this volunteer stuff, you’re not looking for awards or any payment of any description.
“You do it because you want to do it and you want to see the environment change so when you depart this world, you’ve left something that’s good for the others to follow on.”
