Ian Kiernan represented Australia in a solo around-the-world yacht race in 1986, set an Australian record for the solo circumnavigation and finished sixth in a fleet of 25 yachts from 11 nations. The event was life changing, not because of his achievements but because of the amount of rubbish he saw choking our oceans.

He set about organising a community event, Clean Up Sydney Harbour, in January 1989, which grew to Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World campaigns.

He died in Sydney overnight aged 78, after being diagnosed with cancer in July last year. He is survived by wife Judy and daughters Sally and Pip.

Kiernan grew up on Sydney's harbour and beaches and worked in the construction industry, specialising in historic restorations.

The master motivator turned Clean Up Sydney Harbour into a triumph when more than 40,000 volunteers turned up to help.

The following year, in 1990, the first Clean Up Australia Day took place, with more than 300,000 volunteers collecting rubbish across the length and breadth of the country. In 1991, the cause went global, with 80 countries participating. That number has now risen to 120.

Kiernan was honoured with a many awards including a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1991 and Officer of the Order of Australia in 1995. He was Australian of the Year in 1994, received a World Citizenship Award in 1999 and a Centenary Medal in 2001.

In a statement, Clean Up Australia said: “While we will deeply miss Ian’s guidance and humour, it was his greatest wish that the work he inspired continues.

“Ian believed that Clean Up belongs to the millions of volunteers who have taken to their streets, beaches, parks, bushland and waterways to remove the rubbish that is bothering them.

“More recently this has extended to the thousands who take actions such as saying no to a plastic bag at the checkout, refusing a single-use item, or who join us via our social media campaigns.”