Fearless firefighters and farmers took centre stage on a day when they were applauded for their courage during last year's bushfires.

One of them was Batlow farmer Meg Schumer, who spent three gruelling days battling fires around her neighbourhood.

Friends and family members begged her to leave, but Ms Schumer said she could not stand by while her community burned.

"There's a lot of people, a lot of other stories. I think what I did was nothing," Ms Schumer said.

"If you leave, you could come back the house is gone, and you wanted to help other people."

The 29-year-old had no firefighting experience, but she managed to douse several spot fires with the help of some neighbours.

Over the course of three days and two nights she managed to save several wild horses, cows, pets, and properties.

During that time she risked her life several times, including one particularly terrifying moment when her tractor stalled in the middle of a burning paddock.

Tumbarumba Rural Fire Service captain Alan French was applauded for his tireless efforts fighting the Dunns Road fire.

However, Mr French said it really was a team effort from all the firefighters and ordinary farmers who rose to the occasion.

Mr French said many of them had pulled several gruelling 20-hour shifts in a row to help control the Dunns Road blaze.

"There's wonderful people around everywhere," Mr French said.

"[The other brigades] were wonderful to work with, and same with all the local slip-ons."

Fellow firefighter retiree Ron Beehag won two Australia Day awards for his efforts last year.

The 77-year-old said he had never seen a fire quite like it in all his years of firefighting.

His wife Donna McLean-Beehag, 75, did her part by manning the radiowaves over in Tumut.

Mrs McLean-Beehag said the two of them originally came to Tumbarumba to retire and "do nothing", but were now flat out volunteering to help the community recover.

"We're busier than we've ever been in our life," she said.

"We don't have time to get old. We're happily busy."

Several police officers were also acknowledged for their role in the bushfire, including "local hero" Michael Jones who was dubbed Tumbarumba citizen of the year.

He was recognised for his work on and off the beat, including his volunteer work helping families and children affected by the fires.

Senior constable Jones said it was his way of giving back to the community for welcoming him in 2015.

"The strong sense of community here in Tumbarumba and surrounding districts is just unbelievable," Senior Constable Jones said.

"We help each other, we come together in times of extreme pressure such as what we underwent at the end of 2019 and start of 2020."