He's known as a paramedic, an SES leader, a volunteer, a mentor, and someone who has dedicated decades of his life to helping others.
But to Jessica, Graeme Silver has always simply been her dad and her hero.
Beaming with pride at Friday's Freeman of the City presentation at Fort Scratchley, Jessica, her wife Ingrid and mother Jenny celebrated the man they love who has "always put others over himself".
"Growing up, I didn't fully understand the significance of the work he did, because for him it was never about recognition or praise," Jessica said.
"Helping people is simply part of who he was."
She recalled her dad coming home from long shifts with NSW Ambulance, where she would excitedly ask him about his day.
"Over the years I came to understand that those days often included situations people could never imagine; tragedy, emergencies, disasters, fear, and moments where people were experiencing the very worst day of their lives, and somehow dad was always the calm in the chaos," she said.
"As I got older, I realised that what made him remarkable wasn't just the work itself, it was the way he carried it quietly, humbly, without ever asking for recognition, simply self-rewarded but reflecting on moments that mattered."
There was a good chance that with Friday's forecast storm, Mr Silver wasn't going to make it to his celebratory lunch. His family told the Newcastle Herald he'd be getting a mandated day off.
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Hunter Coast Cluster local commander and Newcastle's newest Freeman of the City has dedicated almost six decades to volunteering to help the Hunter through some of its darkest days.
From the 1989 Newcastle earthquake to the 2007 Pasha Bulka storm, the 2015 East Coast Low and delivering babies in unexpected circumstances through his work with NSW Ambulance, Mr Silver has been a steady, reassuring voice when people need it most.
His daughter said he kept going because the community needed him, and even now, when people talk to him about major events over the years, he never talks about himself as the hero.
Instead, he celebrates the efforts of the people who stood beside him.
"That humility is one of the greatest lessons he has ever taught me," she said.
"Dad has instilled in me the values of hard work, resilience, integrity, compassion, empathy to all and service to others.
"He taught me that leadership doesn't come with title or attention, it's about showing up consistently, doing the hard things without complaint, and caring for people when nobody is watching."
Always a humble hero, Mr Silver was speechless when he found out he would be awarded the city's highest honour.
"My wife hid the letter from me until Christmas Day," he said.
"I read the first paragraph and I could not read any more, I was so choked up ... because I knew how honourable it is as far as the city is concerned."
His wife Jenny remembered he was so overwhelmed he "broke down in tears".
"I understand why he does it, and he loves it," she said.
"We're very proud. Very proud."
At just 11 years old, Mr Silver joined St John Ambulance as a volunteer in 1969. It was just the beginning of a life of service, devoting 47 years to the SES and 32 to NSW Ambulance, first as a paramedic before he rose to the role of Hunter chief inspector.
Now, he is one of the most experienced and well-respected volunteer leaders with the SES.
When the Newcastle earthquake hit, Mr Silver was on break from his shift as an ambo at Birmingham Gardens Station.
"People were coming out of their houses just standing there and staring up and down the street," he said.
"We didn't have communications, so you had to sort of ad hoc try to make decisions until the radio system came up and started controlling it all."
After a full day helping Novocastrians with NSW Ambulance, Mr Silver drove straight to his SES unit to lend a hand.
"About two weeks into it [the cleanup] my wife said to me, 'If you don't come home after work tonight and you go to SES, I'm going to change the locks on the house,' because she could see I was getting tired," he said.
"So I came home that night, I did. The next day, I was on a day off, so when she went to work, I went.
"The families give a lot, I want to thank our families for giving up their time to let us go and do what we enjoy doing."
Newcastle lord mayor Gavin Morris said it was a privilege to recognise his commitment.
"Across Australia, we rely on volunteers to be there for us during some of our darkest moments and Graeme Silver has been answering that call for almost 60 years," Cr Morris said.
"Thousands of hours of Graeme's life have been dedicated to keeping his community safe. He's been there to lend a hand and lead the way through some of the biggest disasters we've experienced in Newcastle, while also helping the Hunter through storm events, land searches, floods and training the next crop of volunteers to ensure that legacy is continued.
"On behalf of Newcastle, I'd like to thank our city's newest Freeman for everything he has done and continues to do in service of us all."
One of Mr Silver's favourite stories is when he was called out to a patient experiencing abdominal pain.
The woman's grandmother knew she was having a baby, but the grandfather did not.
"He said to both of us that they'd had pizzas last night and he thought that might have played up on her," Mr Silver said.
"We delivered the baby and when he came back to the door he said, 'What's that?'
"I said, 'A five-pound pepperoni'."
Mr Silver is no stranger to using humour to relax a situation, and said it is his job to reassure people on some of the hardest days of their lives.
"I just try to be kind to people, to try to understand when they're at their worst," he said.
Awarded the Newcastle Volunteer Service Award in 2020 to recognise his efforts, Mr Silver said while he's proud of the accolades, they don't drive his passion.
He said it was an "honour and a privilege" to be named Freeman of the City, but his vision first and foremost has always been to help others.
Minister for the Hunter and Police and Counter-Terrorism Yasmin Catley paid tribute to his years of service.
"Graeme Silver is exactly the kind of person who makes the Hunter such a strong and connected community," Ms Catley said.
"Through his work in the SES and in NSW Ambulance, Graeme has shown what true service looks like in action.
"This is a deeply deserved honour for a man who has given so much to the people and communities around him."
The Freeman of the City award is Newcastle's highest honour, conferred upon Novocastrians for outstanding achievement and service to the city or to humanity.
Graeme Silver is the city's 23rd Freeman of the City, joining a list of 22 fellow Novocastrians including recently honoured charity giant Big John Young, community and sport luminary Adele Saunders and community leader Father Nicolaos Zervos.
