Australia Day honours: Northern NSW awardees named

From the Tweed to Nambucca Heads, the NSW North Coast has had a handful of community members recognised in the Australia Day Honours.

Fingal Head Coast Care president Kay Bolton. Photo: Liana Boss

A handful of people across Northern NSW have snagged federal Australia Day honours.

Here’s the full list from the Tweed to Nambucca Heads:

Jyllie Jackson, Lismore – OAM

Jyllie Jackson, who founded the Lismore Lantern Parade in 1994, is receiving an OAM.

She has also been involved in LightnUp Incorporated, Moorambilla Voices, Creative Lismore and Lismore Family Support Service.

James Danforth Small

Mr Small, from Tweed Heads, is receiving an OAM for his contribution to surf life saving.

Mr Small has been recognised for his contributions to the Greenmount Surf Club/Tweed Heads and Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club.

Kay Bolton – OAM

Kay Bolton has been president of Fingal Head Coastcare since 2003.

She has also been recognised for other coastal land management contributions to her community.

Ms Bolton has also been involved with Fingal Head Community Association, Fingal Head Public School and other environmental contributions.

Robert Paul McFarlane – OAM

Mr McFarlane, from Ulmarra, has been recognised for his contribution to the Grafton community.

He has been involved with the Grafton RSL sub-branch, Clarence Valley Vietnam Veterans Association, Legacy Club of Grafton, Rathgar Lodge, Ulmarra, United Protestant Association of NSW and other community organisations.

Austrelle Susan Lennox – AM

Mrs Lennox, from Bellingen, has received an AM for significant service to water conservation and the environment.

She was a co-founder of OzGreen in 1992 and has been involved in a range of initiatives including the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative between 2007 and 2013.

Mrs Lennox has received numerous awards over the years, including being named the NSW Senior Australia of the Year in 2020.

Terence Michael O’Grady -OAM

Mr O’Grady, from Coffs Harbour, has been awarded an OAM for his service to the community through charitable organisations.

His involvement has involved work with the “Tex and Bundy” charity fundraising duo.

It is a role that has seen him involved in the Delta Therapy Dog Program with the Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation, the Sailing Vessel Wellness Program with Coffs Coast Legacy and many more.

Mr O’Grady has previously received an Australian Defence Medal, Defence Force Service Medal and Australian Service Medal with Special Operations Clasp.

Leonard Thomas Leete – OAM

Sapphire Beach man Leonard Leete has been recognised for his service to the community through emergency response organisations.

As a member of the Mid North Coast branch of the NSW Rural Fire Service, he has been an equipment officer, deputy captain and general brigade member over the years.

Dr Laurence Eames Budd -OAM

Laurence Budd, a paediatrician based in Coffs Harbour, has been recognised for his service to medicine.

Dr Budd has been a paediatrician at a private practise in the town since 1981.

He is also a visiting medical officer for the Coffs Harbour Health Campus department of paediatrics.

He was a general paediatric and rural supervisor, from 2013 to 2020, with the Royal Australiasian College of Physicians.

Dr Budd has been a fellow of the RACP since 1981.

John Lochwood Kent – OAM 

Mr Kent, has been recognised for his service to the Nambucca Heads community,

His contributions have included involvement with the RSL Nambucca sub-branch, the Community Transport Company, the Naval and Mariners Nambucca Valley Association, and more.

Meritious awards

Garry Meredith, Ballina

Mr Meredith, from Ballina, has been a highly skilled and respected member of the Surf Life Saving Far North Coast Branch for more than 40 years.

He is a mentor, leader assessor and facilitator and is available 24/7 to undertake emergency response duties, regularly relieving as the FNC Emergency Services Officer. Mr Meredith has taken on various roles across the organisation, with expertise in front line emergency management and response both as an Incident Controller and front line operator.

He has been a Duty Officer in the branch for over 20 years and in the 2020/21 season, he completed 507.75 volunteer patrol hours and was awarded the inaugural FNC Support Operations Member of the Year.

Through his volunteer duties he has taken on the role of incident controller and attended multiple shark attacks. He displays compassion and empathy for victims and their families, along with support for Surf Life Saving members. Through the ‘Bite Club Crew’ he has mentored victims of shark attacks, helping them return to the water and rebuild their self-esteem. He also brings valuable experience to raising awareness and support for those suffering with PTSD.

Mr Meredith assists in training, assessing jet boat drivers and crews, and this season he supported Kiama Surf Rescue 50 by sharing his skills, knowledge and experience. In a volunteer patrol capacity, he assists with mentoring and training new patrol captains and team members.

Mr Meredith is an outstanding and highly valued member of Surf Life Saving FNC and his commitment and dedication to the community are of the highest order.

John James Keough. Ballina

Mr Keough, from Ballina, has been at the forefront of emergency management operations with Surf Life Saving Far North Coast at a local, branch and state level.

As the FNC Emergency Services Officer, Mr Keough co-ordinates the support operations teams, response and management of incidents, duty officer rostering, rescue water craft operation support, media liaison, incident debriefing and post incident support (including psychological counselling and management) to team members.

The ESO role enables Mr Keough to take part in the Local Emergency Management Committee meetings across the four local government areas in the FNC as the surf lifesaving representative.

He is an appointed State Duty Officer/Rescue Coordinator and Liaison Officer with New South Wales Police Marine Area Command, responsible for the tasking of search and rescue assets to aquatic incidents along the New South Wales coastline. As a volunteer, Mr Keough dedicates over 40 hours a week to surf lifesaving.

Throughout the 2020/21 season, Mr Keough performed 405 volunteer patrol hours in various surf lifesaving capacities and has received meritorious recognition for his emergency response work. While not dedicating time to this voluntary role Mr Keough also crews the Lismore Base Westpac Rescue Helicopter which is contracted to New South Wales Health.

Mr Keough has been crewing this vital search and rescue medical asset for over 20 years and attended many multi agency land and marine missions.

Mr Keough is on call 24/7 to undertake emergency response duties and has attended multiple search and rescue operations. He is committed to ensuring the welfare of members is managed and prioritised.

Countless lives have been saved through Mr Keough‘s involvement and he is an asset to the organisation and to the region. Mr Keough has demonstrated superior dedication and commitment to Surf Life Saving FNC, and to the community, during his 36 years of service.

Sonya Marks, Casino

Sonya Marks has been a volunteer in the emergency services and emergency management sectors since 1997 and joined the New South Wales State Emergency Service in 2018.

In June 2020, Mrs Marks was appointed to the rank of Chief Inspector, Local Commander for the Richmond Valley Cluster.

She has worked tirelessly for the units in her cluster and stepped up when the Wilson River Cluster Local Commander retired. She is one of the main trainers across the Northern Rivers and she prepares and delivers training to other volunteers and responds to Requests For Assistance from the community.

Mrs Marks assisted the New South Wales Rural Fire Service during the 2019-2020 bushfires by door knocking within communities, and delivering food and supplies to RFS Fire crews. RFS specifically requested Mrs Marks as Communications Operator due to her extensive experience with bushfire emergencies and radio communications.

In August 2019, she demonstrated distinguished service when she drove through Kyogle and came upon a car accident. A member of the community was involved in the accident after suffering a medical episode. Mrs Marks noticed that the man was receiving CPR near the scene of the accident and that white smoke was billowing from the vehicle‘s bonnet. She stopped to assist with the CPR and continued to do so even after the vehicle burst into flames, helping to save that individual’s life.

The New South Wales Police Force nominated Mrs Marks for a Bravery Award for her actions that day. Mrs Marks has demonstrated her ability to be a positive role model within the SES, inspiring female volunteers.

Her dedication, passion and commitment to helping the community is exemplary and unquestionable and she has been going above and beyond for over 20 years.

Mrs Marks is an inspirational leader who has genuine care and concern for the Units and volunteers she leads, spending significant time providing them with training, support, and encouragement.