Cade Lucas
Officially, Point Cook’s Alan Evers-Buckland has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the Australia Day honours for services to Life Saving, Charities and the Music Industry.
A browse of his resume suggests that’s selling the 56-year-old short. In the music industry, Mr Evers-Buckland has done everything from venue booker, record producer, music journalist, community radio presenter, promoter, publicist and tour coordinator, through to his currently role managing artists, including singer songwriter Abbey Stone, media identity Gavin Wood and Grammy-winning US musician Charlie Musselwhite.
In surf lifesaving he serves, or has served on the boards of the Royal Life Saving Society Victorian branch, the Royal Life Saving Society Australia (national branch) and as president of the Altona Life Saving Club.
He received the Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth Service Medal in 1997 and Altona Life Saving Club life membership in 1994.
His charity work includes a long list of service as a volunteer with The Les Twentyman Foundation for at-risk youth, and as ambassador for OzChild, as well as using his contacts to raise funds for football clubs, road crews in crisis and anti-suicide associations.
Yet despite this incredible record of service, the life-long western suburbs resident still remained shocked to have been recognised for it.
“I’m totally in a spin about it,” he said before, true to form, turning the attention to others.
“I want to dedicate this honour to my dad who’s now passed away. I got all my ethics and stuff from him, he taught me to give back to my peers and the community. I wish he was alive to share this moment with us.”
Mr Evers-Buckland also highlighted other contributors to the award, particularly in surf lifesaving.
“I might have been the president, but I had an amazing team of secretaries and treasurers and general patrol volunteers who probably will never get it gong, but it’s important to accept it in their honour.”
While surf lifesaving has been volunteer role, it’s been the music industry where Mr Evers-Buckland has made his career, ever since deciding that playing music would be more fun than becoming a lawyer.
“I played really badly myself and I decided that the manager got an extra can of beer, so I thought I should start managing the band as well as playing and it just progressed from there,” he said of his music career which he again attributed to the help of others, including former Skyhooks bass player Greg Macainsh.
As for charity, these days Mr Evers-Buckland’s efforts are focused on fundraising for mental health charity, the El-Khoury Foundation.
“Suicide prevention is pretty much number one,” he said.
