This was a sentiment shared by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu but could just as easily be applied to OAM recipient Jill Hodgson.

Mrs Hodgson received the award on Australia Day 'for service to the communities of Boorowa and Grenfell'.

"I didn't ever set out to achieve all those things, it's just a case of, wherever I was... if there was a job I thought I could help with, I just got in and did it," she said of the accolade.

"It's the satisfaction of seeing something happening... whether it's cemetery restoration work, church restoration, whether it's kids having opportunities, whether it's running the centenary show. It's the satisfaction of knowing that I've helped something happen.

"I didn't set out to achieve satisfaction from doing these things but it is part of it, that yes, you're happy when something has worked well."

For more than five decades, Mrs Hodgson has been involved with a vast range of organisations in both communities and beyond, including the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Rotary, Grenfell Car Club, the Country Education Foundation, Boorowa Show Society, Boorowa Sports Council, Boorowa Meals on Wheels, the Agricultural Bureau and the Kenyu-Goba Creek Bushfire Brigade.

She is also a former teacher, farm manager of 'Congera Hills', Boorowa and has co-authored publications about Langs Creek Anglican Cemetery, the Boorowa Show and St John's Church.

Mrs Hodgson said the example set by her mother inspired her to help the local community, as well as overcome personal struggles.

"I suppose, you could say, with all my achievements, my mother is behind all of this, in that she wanted me to get a good education... That really headed me in the direction of doing heaps of things," she said.

"My mother was hearing impaired, became totally deaf. Her mantra always was, 'just because I'm deaf, I'm not stupid'.

"I'm not sure how much that instilled itself into me, in that, if I had normal hearing, I might not have tried as hard to do so many things.

"I don't think I was trying to prove a point but I just wanted people to be aware that yes, it is possible to do things even if you do have a hearing impairment or any form of disability."

As a result, Mrs Hodgson took up lip-reading classes in Canberra during the 1990s and shared her skills with the Grenfell community.

Mrs Hodgson said her community work was also built on her Christian faith and becoming an Honorary Lay Canon of St Savior's Cathedral in 2017 was her most 'surprising' and 'delightful' achievement.

"I thought, what have I done to deserve this?" she said.

"There's so many people who are more important than me that have done more than I've done in different areas.

"That was the one that gave me the most pleasure."

Mrs Hodgson said rural communities like Boorowa and Grenfell rely on volunteers and community organisations.

"That's the key, in rural communities, small country communities," she said.

"It's important that as many people as possible pull their weight and all the things I've done, it's never just been me.

"I've been part of a team... you can't do anything on your own, you have to bring other people along with you."

Looking to the future, Mrs Hodgson said she hopes to continue making a difference to local communities and inspiring the next generation to do the same.

"I've been keen to see young people get all the opportunities that they possibly can and that's why I'm now involved with the Country Education Foundation in Grenfell," she said.

"You get paid back in spades by these young people, you open their opportunities and they run with it.

"If we don't do little bits of good where we are, nothing will happen."

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