Rugby League Icon Rewarded for Charity Work - Kia Ambassador Mark Geyer named as OAM

SYDNEY – Feb 6, 2013: Rugby League hard man and Kia Ambassador Mark Geyer has been made a Medal of the Order of Australia recipient for the charity work he has quietly championed for the past 12 years.

“Overwhelmed, that’s the only way I can describe it,” Geyer said after being presented with his medal on Australia Day. “It is humbling to think that someone like me has been included with the truly worthy people who have shared this award over the years.

“If you had told me 10 years ago that something like this could happen I’d have probably told you to get off the sauce.”

Over the past decade Geyer has worked quietly but tirelessly for a range of charities close to his heart, raising almost $3.5 million in the process.

“I have to be honest and say that it is nice to be recognised, even though that is not why you do the things you do,” Geyer said.

“The fact that people do notice and appreciate the work just makes you want to do even more to help.”

Geyer grew up at the foot of the Blue Mountains in Penrith, was a member of the Penrith grand final winning team of 1992 and represented NSW and Australia in a career that saw him never take a backwards step.

As one of Kia’s longest-serving Ambassadors, Geyer’s determination and sense of community reflect key tenets of the Kia brand. Kia Motors Australia congratulates him on such worthy recognition.