Ron Kemsley has spent the last 20 years spearheading various environmental projects in his role at council and received several awards for his efforts; however, this latest accolade still came as a shock.

"I had absolutely no idea I'd been nominated, a couple of staff put in the nomination late last year, it came as quite a surprise," he said.

"I'm both honoured and humbled, and I look forward to attending the ceremony to receive the insignia of the award later this year."

Since joining the council in 2000, Mr Kemsley has worked in the restoration and enhancement of Kempsey Shire's aquatic ecosystems and addressed environmental issues. For his efforts, he has previously been awarded the NSW Coastal Award for Service to the Coastal Environment, and the Excellence in the Environment Award.

The Senior Natural Resources Officer has also been instrumental in implementing several significant and wide-ranging environmental rehabilitation projects, including the Boyters Lane Wetland Rehabilitation Project. This project transformed a degraded dairy farm into a thriving coastal wetland, delivering ecological, social and economic benefits for the South West Rocks community.

Since the extensive rehabilitation, more than 230 species of bird have been detected in the area, including endangered species. Such was the success of the project; the approach toward the Boyters Lane Site is now being applied in other council managed environmental rehabilitation projects.