Mr Cornish said he initially became involved in Scouts when he was eleven, while living in Hobart, but after moving to Blackmans Bay a number of years later, he stopped attending.

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It was only at the age of 18, and after a chance encounter on a bus, that Mr Cornish became involved with the organisation once again.

"I sat next to a fellow who, after we got talking, asked me if I was ever in Scouts, to which I replied that I had," he said.

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"He then told me that he was the Scout leader at Blackmans Bay, which he of course followed up with the fateful words of 'I really need some help, we have a lot of kids there'."

It was a moment that changed Mr Cornish's life forever and set forwarth a journey within the organisation that would see him coordinate several troops across the state, before eventually settling in Launceston and serving as Scouts Tasmania's chief commissioner.

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"I'm thrilled to be awarded, but only because I realise that it was my peers, some of whom I worked with for close to 60 years, that recommended me for the award, which means they appreciated what I did with and for them as both a team leader and a team player," he said.

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