Shane Fitzsimmons AO says he never would have imagined he’d achieve all he has as he’s acknowledged in the Australia Day honours.

The Resilience NSW Commissioner was honoured as an Officer of the Order of Australia for his work in leading NSW RFS during the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20.

He told Ben Fordham the honour is “overwhelming”.

“30-odd years ago this little misfit of a teenager getting in trouble all the time … when I joined up to that local volunteer bushfire brigade, did I ever think that I’d get on the straight and narrow? Did I ever think I would be bestowed the extraordinary honours like I have in the last couple of years? Absolutely not.”

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Image: Getty/Jenny Evans