EDUCATION
The Albury Wodonga Business Awards recognises those people in our community, who look beyond their own business to ensure the success of our region. The Hall of Fame Award is presented annually at the Gala Event Night to an individual or business that has made a significant ongoing contribution to Albury Wodonga's business landscape and the general community at large.
Gary West was announced as the 2025 Hall of Fame inductee during the Albury Wodonga Business Awards on Friday, August 15, at Albury Entertainment Centre. About 400 guests, including 84 finalists, attended the Gala Event.
Each year, when we sit down to consider who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next, the questions we ask ourselves are... Are those people significant figures in our community? Particularly, the business community. Has their success been sustained? Have they made more than just money? Have they brought other people along with them? Have they helped other people succeed? Have they been good for their community? Have they accepted and recognised that their success wasn’t entirely down to them? But also rested on the support of their communities. When the time came to give, did they do so? With their time, their expertise or their money? Whilst we don’t expect perfection, are they held in high regard?
This year’s inductee is a very worthy addition to the list.
In conclusion, it should be an aspiration for all finalists tonight to get to the end of their life in business and think that one day your name might be added to the hall of fame.
- David Koschitzke
Website by North South Grace West © 2016
Let’s go back 52 years, when our recipient’s family moved to the Mitta Valley, where the six children were allowed to roam freely, but also expected to pull their weight and work hard. These early influences left their mark, as did watching their mum and dad run ventures such as hotels and takeaway shops. This developed a keen interest in understanding business. A knack with numbers informed the career advice and subsequent study. But one key figure we can’t overlook is 22, the age at which he married the one he calls ‘my best influence and strongest role model’.
Among the highlights to come are thirty-three years of continuous service with one firm, a company that grew from about 30 employees to some 145 over that time. More than 16 years helping lead chambers of commerce, six and a half years providing advice on land, and a fundraising campaign that collected more than $1.6 million, far exceeding initial expectations.
These are just some of the numbers our inductee has gathered since he started in accountancy more than four decades ago. But figures on a page represent only one part of his contribution. Always one to seek and seize opportunities, he has encouraged investment in property, food, water, and
the arts.
Many businesses and enterprises across the Border have benefited from his professional skills, building relationships rather than just balancing books.
As you’ll soon see, our recipient admits some people might have found him tough. But many have respected and learned from his direct and honest feedback. He is quick to attribute his success to the teamwork and support of his wife of 41 years and their three children.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the newest inductee of the Albury Wodonga Business Awards Hall of Fame. Please join me in congratulating a man of numbers, but so much more, Gary West.
- Janet Howie, Editor - The Border Mail
