Meet the South Aussie greats on this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List
A trailblazing athlete, a passionate biologist and a lawyer who is as comfortable in the courtroom as he is on the beach – meet the exceptional South Aussies on this year’s Honours List.
SA News
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Moya Dodd
For distinguished service to football as a player and administrator at the national and international level, as a role model to women, and to the law.
Trailblazing former international football player and administrator Moya Dodd says becoming a Member of the Order of Australia is a marker of how far the country has come since she was growing up in Woodville in the 1960s.
Ms Dodd said back then, her family was considered a bit “different’’.
“I grew up in a Fire Station. my dad was a firemen my mum was Australian-born Chinese. She was a nurse. She was a Seventh Day Adventist, so I always had vegetarian school lunches. I was the only kid with nutmeg, tomato sauce sandwiches at school,’’ she said.
“I think the people like us didn’t really win awards. So, I think it’s really a tribute to the kind of place that Australia is where we can embrace people with different experiences and backgrounds and perspectives on life and make sure that Australia is the land of the fair go.’’
Also marking her as something different was the young Moya Dodd’s love of football.
“As I grew up, football was considered a game for others. There were other cultures, other ethnic groups and it wasn’t broadly embraced in the mainstream.’’
Ms Dodd fell in love with the game as an 11-year-old but there were few women’s teams at the time. But she rose through the ranks, the now 58-year-old played for South Australia and then Australia, including at FIFA’s first women’s tournament in 1988.
After her playing days were over, the lawyer moved into administration, becoming one of the most powerful figures in the world game.
A partner at Sydney law firm Gilbert and Tobin, Ms Dodd joined the board of Football Federation Australia in 2007, the board of the Asian Football Confederation in 2009 and became one of the first women to join FIFA’s executive committee.
She helped push the cause of women's football, and has seen it grow exponentially in the last decade, culminating in the Women’s World Cup being held in Australia next month.
“The Women’s World Cup is the second biggest single sport event in the world after the men’s World Cup,’’ she said.
Ms Dodd, who still plays in an over-40s league, said the award was dedicated to “the communities that I’m proud of’’.
“Not just the legal profession, but also the football community and the women’s sports community, but also, the Asian Australian community and the LGBTQ plus community,’’ she said.
– By Michael McGuire
Rodney Winston Fox
For significant service to tourism, and to shark biology
When a great white shark decided to take a bite out of Rodney Fox during a spearfishing contest at Aldinga Beach in 1963 it changed his life in two very profound ways.
Firstly, it almost killed him.
Surgeons used 462 stitches to put him back together. His abdomen was fully exposed, all of the ribs on his right-hand side were broken, his diaphragm and lung were punctured and his spleen was poking out. The tendons, fingers and thumb on his right hand were shredded in the fight for his life, and to this day the 82-year-old has a piece of shark tooth embedded in his wrist. It’s widely considered to be one of the worst non-fatal shark attacks on records.
But secondly, it sparked a lifelong fascination with sharks, a fascination that has led to an extraordinary and adventurous life.
Mr Fox has spent decades observing and interacting with great white sharks, pioneering the shark cage diving industry and introducing thousands of tourists, scientists, photographers to the ocean’s apex predator.
More importantly, Mr Fox said, he’s played a role in changing the shark’s reputation from that of a bloodthirsty predator to a vital part of the marine ecosystem.
“It was while I was in hospital that I first noticed all that hatred and the fear towards sharks,” he said.
“From visitors, from the nurses, from everybody. To me, it felt unreal. As a diver I knew that I could be bitten, I knew there were sharks out there. You can’t blame the shark for being a shark.”
Mr Fox acknowledged the profound impact a shark attack can have on a coastal community, but has always maintained that the risk needed to put into perspective.
“Whenever there is an attack my stomach turns over because I know the horror and the fear that the parents and the relatives and the people who live in that area are feeling,” he said.
“But the more you understand, the more you realise that we have to learn to live with the sharks and not kill them from fear. They have an important role to play in the ocean, and the oceans need all the help they can get at the moment.”
Mr Fox said the King’s Birthday Honour was a nice recognition of his life’s endeavours.
“I’ve always just tried to keep educating people, in a low key way, about the importance of looking after sharks,” he said.
“It hasn’t been easy because there were so many people who didn’t like them and thought that they should be killed. But this shows that maybe, over the years, I have gotten through to people and that maybe the way I’ve gone about it has been listened to.”
– By Nathan Davies
Anthea Kaye Pavy
For significant service to the community
Former chief executive of Uniting Country South Australia Anthea Kaye Pavy has dedicated her life to SA’s country people, impacting them in extraordinary ways.
Ms Pavy, 64, said it was “humbling” to receive an AM for her significant service to her community.
“There are so many people out there doing such wonderful things and making a real difference in the world … so it’s very humbling,” she said.
Starting her mammoth career in social work Ms Pavy was always motivated by her innate desire to help children.
“If you can make a difference in one child’s life then it’s worthwhile,” Crystal Brook resident said.
“Some of the children who’ve come into care are facing some disadvantages.
“They’ve had different experiences … different opportunities and they just want to feel safe and secure.”
Ms Pavy, who spent 17 years as a chief executive, said after growing up on a farm in country SA and having “lots of opportunities in life” she noticed “that wasn’t the case for a lot of people”.
“Having the opportunity, in some way, to give back to others is what started my desire to do social work,” she said.
Since she’s been committed to helping as many country South Australians as possible through her work providing a range of services to the community
– By Evangeline Polymeneas
Craig Caldicott
For significant service to law and life saving
As comfortable as Craig Caldicott is in a courtroom, it the beach that he thrives on.
For more than 50 years Mr Caldicott, a noted criminal lawyer who has held senior positions with the SA Law Society, has been dedicating his free time to surf life saving.
Starting in 1969 when he was awarded his Bronze Medallion, Mr Caldicott has spent countless hours both at his home club in Brighton as well as dedicating his time to state and national surf life saving bodies.
Mr Caldicott said it was his mother who had instilled in him at a young age a desire to give back to the community.
“My mother used to contribute as a nurses aide at Minda homes and I like the idea of giving back to the community,” he said,
“I actively encourage people to become parts of a volunteer organisation, partially because you get to give back but also because you create a community to be involved in.”
Mr Caldicott was a patrolling member of the Brighton Surf Life Saving club and has also served as the honorary legal adviser to Surf Life Saving SA since 1982 – a position he continues to perform.
While surf lifesaving consumed his off hours, during the day Mr Caldicott has been at the forefront of the criminal law in South Australia.
After being admitted to the bar in 1979 and originally running his business out of his mother’s spare room, Mr Caldicott has been involved in multiple high-profile trials.
Notable among them was the war crime trial of Ivan Polyukhovich – which took Mr Caldicott not only to Ukraine as part of the trial but all the way to the High Court.
Polyukhovich was eventually acquitted of taking part in the mass murder of 800 people during World War II.
Now 68 years old, Mr Caldicott has taken a step back from the day to day running of his business but continues to work as a senior consultant.
“Theoretically I’m supposed to be doing less work but it hasn’t worked out that way,” he said.
Currently Mr Caldicott acts for one of two men challenging the validity of the AN0M app – an encrypted communication platform which was secretly being monitored by the AFP.
That legal challenge is likely to take Mr Caldicott again to the High Court.
– By Mitch Mott
Leon Byner
For significant service to radio
“It’s nice to get recognition,” Adelaide radio personality Leon Byner said, “because it gives you a chance to say thankyou to everyone who has supported you.”
Mr Byner has received an OAM in recognition of his services to radio, an industry he first entered as a teenager more than 60 years ago.
“I got quite a shock when I got the email,” the talkback host said.
“But I’ve always said that if I can help someone in any way I will, if I can connect them with the right people I will.
“Business people call it networking, I call it knowing someone who knows someone. We live in a world that’s ‘me, me, me’, so it’s always nice if you can give back.”
For more than two decades Mr Byner hosted FIVEaa’s high-rating morning show and prided himself on being a thorn in the side of authority and bureaucracy.
In his time behind the microphone Mr Byner helped thousands of people, often battlers who were struggling to have their voice heard by government and the public service.
“We live in a world where there is often a lot of bad news,” he said.
“I thought if I had the opportunity to give back, to lend a hand, then I should do that. And I’ll continue to do that.”
– By Nathan Davies
Jane Jeffreys
For significant service to the community of South Australia
Ms Jane Jeffreys’ secret to success is never “shying away from challenges.”
The mother of two is being awarded for her commendable significant service to the community of South Australia through a range of roles, exemplified within the tourism, business, education, health and aged care, sport and arts sector.
Previously, she was awarded a fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors, Management and Human Resources.
The 68-year-old says her most significant starting point was “being appointed on the executive team to set up the Hilton Hotel in 1980s” – the first international hotel in Adelaide.
After another executive role with Adelaide Casino, she was given opportunities to contribute at a board level and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
She started the successful Jane Jeffreys Consulting, and was later appointed as the chair and director of Adelaide Convention Centre, which led to impressive roles including being a director of the Port Adelaide Football Club.
Ms Jeffreys says her appointment as the Director of Tourism Australia was a career changing,
which she carried out alongside prominent roles within the education, arts and creative sector.
“I’ve always taken up opportunities and supported others to be successful,” said. “I’m now really proud to be chair of BrandSA, I enjoy the ability to bring others along, and identify the strength and passion that people bring to any circumstance.”
– By Agnes Gichuhi
Dawn May Borchardt
For significant service to youth through Girl Guides
Dawn May Borchardt has been guiding South Australian youth since she was only seven years old and got involved with Girl Guides.
“Mum thought it would be good for me and here I am,” the now 62-year-old said.
Ms Borchardt said her time as a Girl Guide has provided her the opportunity to support other women and experience amazing things.
“I’ve been privileged to know I’ve had a positive impact on people’s lives,” she said.
“As a girl guide leader I could be an influence and at best make it a positive one.”
Ms Borchardt, who retired from the Girl Guides at the end of last year, said she has travelled to various countries including Mexico and India.
“I’ve had the opportunity to do things I never thought I’d do,” she said.
“My 10 year old self wouldn’t have thought I’d do any of that.”
During her time as a Girl Guide, Ms Borchardt has held various roles and won a plethora of awards including the Asia Pacific Award in 2019, the Red Kangaroo Award in 2014 and the Emu Award in 2012.
“I’m passionate about what girl guiding can offer girls and young women,” she said.
“It’s a wonderful life.”
Ms Borchardt said she is honoured to have been nominated for the award.
“It is also a tribute to the teams of talented, amazing people I’ve volunteered with,” she said.
– By Eva Blandis
Alan James (Jim) Whalley
For significant service to business, particularly the defence capability industry, to the public sector, to aviation history, and to the community
Jim Whalley would often joke during his tenure as South Australia’s chief entrepreneur that he’d agreed to stay on for another year, but only because the premier had agreed to double his salary.
He was, of course, not being paid at all, and was in fact fulfilling the role at a not inconsiderable cost to himself.
Mr Whalley’s general levity belies a deeply held passion to make a contribution to the society he lives in, whether it be in his aforementioned role as South Australia’s chief entrepreneur, the many roles he has held on boards in the defence sector over the years, including his current position as a director of Australian Naval Infrastructure, and his stewardship of locally-based defence firm Nova Systems, which he co-founded 23 years ago.
These roles all follow a decorated career as a test pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force, spanning 1984-2015, during which time he flew more than 6000 hours on 40 aircraft.
Mr Whalley remains an avid aviator, owning several planes and helicopters, and is the patron of the South Australian Aviation Museum.
Mr Whalley said he felt very privileged and very honoured to be recognised.
“It reflects the efforts of a whole lot of other people, not just me, and a lot of the support I’ve been given by family, friends and those close to me,’’ he said.
“It’s an enormous honour and I feel very privileged to be recognised.’’
His defence accolades include the Australian Defence Medal and the Defence Long Service Medal with First Clasp.
Alan James (Jim) Whalley has been made an officer in the general division of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to business, particularly the defence capability industry, to the public sector, to aviation history, and to the community.
– By Cameron England
Will Sergeant
For significant service to the LQBTIQ+ community of South Australia
Will Sergeant considers his visibility as an out and proud gay man for over 50 years to be his greatest achievement, humbled to be service to the LQBTIQ+ community of South Australia.
While he shies away from being described as “brave”, times were very different in Adelaide in the early 1970s.
“It took me a while to come terms with my sexuality … (George) Duncan was thrown into the river and drowned … I thought, ‘this is not good’,” the now 73-year-old said.
“(At that time) here were legal sanctions too … (but) visibility is so important, that old adage, ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ is really important still.
“(As a young person) I felt something like an outlaw … sometimes you have to challenge what you think is not right, or fair, or just.
“(It’s rewarding) to be recognised this way, to be seen as being important and adding to the fabric of an embracing accepting society because it was very different 50 years ago.”
He says he is proud, too, of his alter-ego, Dr Gertrude Glossip, who he describes as being like “your favourite eccentric aunt”.
“(Gertrude) has done every Feast Festival since it began and she has got quite a reputation over the years … it was about having fun and celebrating who you are, and enjoying that.”
– By Rebecca Whitfield-Baker
Christine Ann Robertson
For significant service to animal welfare
There’s nothing like the bond between a pet and its owner, so when someone loses theirs, Christine Robertson and her army of volunteers help to find it.
Ms Robertson has been honoured for service to animal welfare.
She has been the lead volunteer and co-founder of Lost Pets of South Australia Inc since 2013, which helps to reunite wandering pets with their owners.
“I was raised in a family were pets were an important part of the family,” Ms Robertson, 62, said of her lifelong love of animals.
She has a team of 60 volunteers who will search for animals, scan their tags and bring them home.
And in 2015, Ms Robertson founded Chipblitz, which gets pets microchipped at a fraction of the cost vets charge.
A lot of people don’t have their pets microchipped, she said, and mostly “because of the cost”.
“We thought the best way around that was to make it cheaper,” Ms Robertson said.
Among her other charities is Go Red 4 Me, which she founded the same year she was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.
“I was diagnosed with a serious heart condition in 2018 and I realised most people don’t get their hearts checked.”
While incredibly proud to receive recognition for her work, Ms Robertson said without her team backing her up, she’d be just “another woman with a dream”.
– By Shashi Baltutis
Jillian Yvonne Whittaker
For significant service to local government
Jillian Yvonne Whittaker’s OAM for significant service to local government, and to the community, is part of her late son Ashleigh’s legacy.
Ms Whittaker this year celebrates 20 years in local government after being elected to Campbelltown Council where she has been Mayor since 2018.
She decided to get involved in council affairs while searching for services for her severely disabled son Ashleigh who died in 2014 aged 23.
“I found the council was not terribly aware of the needs of families with disabled children, which prompted me to enter local government and get things in the local area for families with disabled children,” the former teacher said.
“It became more of an issue because of course there are adults with disabilities and there are a huge range of disabilities.”
Ms Whittaker has driven change in her local area including improved access to buildings.
“My driving forces have been inclusion, access and the environment — I want the neighbourhood we live in to be inclusive, accessible and welcoming,” she said.
Ms Whittaker has served in roles on the Local Government Association of SA including as vice president, as a board member of the Libraries Board of SA, a community advisory committee member to the Essential Services Commission of SA, with the SA Public Health Council, Migrant Resource Centre and Norwood Community Legal Service.
– By Brad Crouch
John Camillo
For significant service to industrial relations in the manufacturing industry
Former Australian Manufacturing Workers Union secretary John Camillo, 71, was one of the most liked and effective unionists in SA for decades.
His AM for “significant service to industrial relations in the manufacturing industry” honours his 30-year career in the union — ending in 2021 — where he battled to keep Holden and Mitsubishi car making in SA.
Underneath every headline that spelt out the latest news of doom for the car manufacturing industry in SA, was John Camillo with a message of hope.
He and workers at Holden combined to meet the demands of the company, and slashed $20 million from the company’s wages bill.
Mr Camillo paid tribute to the many workers who sacrificed so much to save their industry.
“It was a very hard time for the workers but it was a job I loved doing,’’ he said.
Mr Camillo’s Australian adventure could have ended abruptly, and his skills lost, after he and his family moved here from Italy.
“We came from near Trieste, and when I was a kid I told mum (Catherina) … ‘I was crying and wanted to go back and couldn’t understand the language’,’’ he said.
“Now I know it is the best place in the world.”
Mr Camillo also gave credit to his wife Michelle, who he says still reminds him of English language pronunciations.
– By Miles Kemp
George Torbay
For significant services to music
Establishing the music theatre degree at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium is just the latest chapter in George Torbay’s diverse education, directing and conducting career.
Mr Torbay, 56, received an AM for significant service to the performing arts through music in a range of roles – something he intends to continue for many years to come.
“It’s extremely rewarding at this point … I certainly don’t feel like my career is over,” Mr Torbay said.
“I’ve still got a bit to go, and I’ve still got a bit to give, but I’m incredibly honoured.”
Born in Bathurst and raised in Armidale, Mr Torbay was artistic director of the Sydney Opera House’s concert series for the NSW Department of Education from 1997-2007.
He is perhaps best recognised for writing the national music theatre syllabus for the Australian Music Examinations Board, as well as directing or conducting opera and music theatre productions.
Mr Torbay was also musical director and judge for Channel 7’s Battle of the Choirs in 2007-08.
He was lecturing at Singapore’s Lasalle College of the Arts in 2018 when he was approached to establish and head the Elder Conservatorium’s music theatre degree, and moved to Adelaide later that year.
“To get it to the point where it is now has been five years of pretty devoted work and a real labour of love,’ Mr Torbay said.
“It’s now in a position where it’s really one of the leading courses in the country.”
– By Patrick McDonald
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