Keith Clark said that when his Lifeline supervisor asked if would accept a nomination for the SA Volunteer Awards he "already felt like a winner".

To then go on, he said, to receive South Australia’s highest distinction for an individual volunteer – the Joy Noble Medal – from the Governor was something he hadn’t even contemplated.

"When I found out I’d been nominated I was actually away in my caravan, and I just sat there – open-mouthed – thinking, 'why do they want me, there must be hundreds of people they could have chosen'.

"So when I saw the people I was up against and heard them call out my name I was just like … wow! It’s been an amazing experience."

Mr Clark’s award was recognition of the 12 years he has volunteered as a Lifeline Crisis Supporter, providing compassionate, non-judgemental support to thousands of South Australians during their most vulnerable moments.

It’s a role that the Adelaide Hills resident (pictured right meeting former PM Julia Gillard) said was important and rewarding work, but it was also a role that came out of tragedy.

A colleague in Mr Clark’s CFS brigade took their own life, an event that, he said, had a huge impact on himself and his fellow volunteer firefighters.

"I remember standing there at her funeral thinking to myself that one day I needed to somehow get involved, to find a way to help people in need," he said.

That opportunity presented itself in the form of a role as a Lifeline Crisis Supporter, which sees Mr Clark working a weekly three-hour shift on the phones talking to vulnerable callers, as well as training new Crisis Supporters.

He said he finds his work with Lifeline immensely rewarding, but noted that the work could also be very confronting.

"We think we know how other people live – we think that most people are living in a similar way to us – but one thing I’ve learned is that none of us have any idea of how other people live and what other people are going through," Mr Clark said.

"But it’s a two-way street – when you talk to someone and you hear hope come back into their voice, that’s very rewarding. You give a lot, but you get a lot back."

Mr Clark said he moved to the Adelaide Hills from the UK in the late eighties, a time when the memories of the 1984 Ash Wednesday bushfires were still fresh in many people’s minds.

It was this that inspired him to join the CFS, an organisation that he didn’t even know existed when he lived in Britain.

Rising to the rank of Captain, and now President, Mr Clark said he was still astounded at the work his Aldgate CFS brigade did on a regular basis.

"Some people don’t realise that once you leave the city, we’re it," he said.

"Whether it’s an accident, or a fire, hazmat, fallen trees – it’s the CFS that gets called.

"But one point I really wanted to make is that volunteers can’t do what they do without the support and understanding of their families and those around them.

"I don’t think families get enough recognition, and they deserve it."

The 2026 South Australian Volunteer Awards were held at Government House, during National Volunteer Week (18 to 24 May 2026).

Congratulations to the 2026 SA Volunteer Awards recipients:

Joy Noble Medal — South Australia's highest distinction for an individual volunteer
Recipient: Keith Clark

'The Andamooka' Community Project Award — Recognising a community or group volunteer project of significant community benefit
Recipient: Camden's Food and Wellbeing Outreach Program

Young Volunteer Award — Honouring an outstanding young volunteer aged 12 to 25
Recipient: Haylie Staunton

Excellence in Volunteer Management Award — Honouring a volunteer manager for their outstanding contribution to the profession
Recipient: Sandi Elliot – In Home Hospice Care Inc.

Premier's Award for Corporate Social Responsibility — Recognising the community contribution of a South Australian for-profit business
Recipient: Gallagher Bassett

Read more about the impact of the 2026 recipients . (external site) (external site)

Award-winers Keith Clark (Joy Noble Medal), Melissa Zadey (Premier's Award for Corporate Social Responsibility), Governor of South Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Sandi Elliot (Excellence in Volunteer Management), Sally-Anne Griffiths ('The Andamooka Community Project Award) and Haylie Staunton (Young Volunteer Award).