Batemans Bay Coles regional manager John Appleby receives Big Heart and people's choice awards

This week Coles regional manager John Appleby was named winner of the Business Council of Australia's Big Heart award for leading his team and the community through that time.

At the height of the bushfire crisis, road closures and power outages meant Coles Batemans Bay was the only major supermarket in the area that stayed open for three days, and the 120-strong store team served more than 4500 customers in just one day.

"Everything came together, the community was fantastic and patient and knew we were doing everything in our power to keep the store open," Mr Appleby said.

"We were fortunate to have a large gas generator and we worked hard to keep getting supplies into town and cater for the needs of the local community."

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Not only did the Batemans Bay store supply people with food and other essentials, but many staff members had to deal with their own homes threatened by fire.

"It was extremely tough, and we had to get teams from Sydney to keep the store open on one day where everyone locally was defending homes," Mr Appleby said.

"I'll never forget the Sunday we opened and we couldn't have people waiting outside because embers were falling so everyone curled around inside the whole store, it was surreal."

At the inaugural awards, Business Council Australia presented the Big Heart award to an individual who went to extraordinary lengths to help those in need, often while facing their own challenges.

Mr Appleby also received the People's Choice award, voted by members of the community for each category.

"I feel very humbled to be named the winner, especially because so many people did extraordinary things during the bushfires and I didn't expect to win," Mr Appleby said.

"These awards are not just for me, but for the Coles team and the Batemans Bay community.

"We only got through that time because we all worked together."