Australia Day honours 2024: NSW residents recognised
From crafty emergency services workers to sports advocates, researchers, pioneering pollies and more – here’s a huge list of NSW’s best and brightest recognised this Australia Day. Read their inspiring stories.
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The outstanding achievements of residents across NSW, from Sydney to northern NSW and further afield, have been recognised in this year’s 2024 Australia Day Honours list.
NORTH SYDNEY
A total of 21 locals have received the nation’s highest honour for their contributions in fields ranging from medicine to aerospace and volunteer community work.
Among the recipients was Margaret-Anne Hayes who was recognised for her dedicated community work including volunteering for multiple charity and community initiatives including homeless charities domestic violence refuges, food support, and the Turramurra Uniting Church flea market.
She said countless residents within the north shore rely on the work of volunteers.
“I think it is lovely to help in the community and there’s a growing hidden need of people seeking support – especially older women because the biggest proportion of people becoming homeless are women over 55,” she said.
“I also love volunteering at the uniting church flea market because all the donations come from local people, a lot of the large percentage of money goes back into community
“I just try to do a little act of kindness each day – whether it’s something as simple as smiling at a stranger at the shops.
“I think the work we do close to home morphs into a circle of life and love and there are so many incredible volunteers in the area.
“I’m just one of many.”
Also honoured was nonagenarian Graham Grant who was recognised for his work in development multiple medical inventions.
“I came from a family of civil engineers but I was always interested in medicine, even from a young age,” he said.
“I ended up doing my thesis in medical apparatuses and went to London where I began designing equipment.
After graduating, Mr Grant went on to become a member of the Biomedical College at Engineers Australia and invented groundbreaking medical devices including safety drug administration needles, humidifiers and low-cost respiration airway monitor
He said the apparatuses he was most proud of pioneering was the development of portable incubators that could be fitted to ambulances to assist in the transport of young infants to hospital.
Also recognised in the Australia Day honours was Lenore Robertson for her significant service to the community and to the arts including serving on the board of the Griffin Theatre Company.
Her work on the north shore has included singing to residents in local nursing homes as well as performing in twice-yearly community concerts at Dougherty Centre.
She also sits on the Lane Cove Theatre Reference Group which is currently looking at creating a new performance space in the council area.
“Music and performance brings so much joy to people and has the potential to improve people’s lives just in the same way sport does,” she said.
“I’ve got so much from the community being involved in community groups and to work alongside so many dedicated volunteers is a privilege.”
Governor-General David Hurley said the awards shined a spotlight on Australians who represented the best of who we are as a nation.
“Individually, they are inspiring and collectively they speak to the strength of our communities,” he said.
“They have served and had an impact in just about every field you can imagine; their stories and backgrounds are diverse.”
The recipients from Sydney’s north shore include:
CATHERINE LIVINGSTONE – AC
Ms Livingstone was recognised for her service to business, particularly through governance and strategic reform, to tertiary education, to science, technology and innovation capability development, and to the arts.
The Milsons Point resident has served as the chancellor of the University of Technology Sydney since 2016 and is a former chair of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Her work in the business sector has also included serving as the chair of the Telstra Corporation from 2000-2016 and as the president of the Business Council of Australia from 2014-2016.
RICHARD BAILEY – AM
Mr Bailey was recognised for his significant service to medicine in the field of anaesthetics, and to professional societies.
The Cammeray resident’s work in the medical field includes working as an anaesthetist at St Vincent’s Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. He is also a life member of the Australian Society of Anaesthetists.
PETER LOWRY – AM
Mr Lowry was recognised for his significant service to the community through a range of roles and organisations.
The Cremorne Point resident is the president and chairman of the Seaborn Broughton and Walford Foundation which supports the performing arts community. He has also served of a range of other organisations including the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.
DALLAS BOOTH – AM
Mr Booth was recognised for his significant service to the insurance industry, and to the community.
The South Turramurra resident has served as the chair of the Business Advisory Council since 2021. His community work includes serving as a member for local organisations including the Rotary Club of Turramurra.
STEPHEN CALLISTER – AM
Mr Callister was recognised for his significant service to community, particularly men’s health.
The Greenwich resident is the national chair of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. He is also a member of the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre NSW.
PAUL ROACH – AM
Mr Roach was recognised for his significant service to nuclear medicine, and to medical research.
The St Leonards resident is the head of Nuclear Medicine and Positron Emission Tomography at Royal North Shore Hospital and is the clinical director of nuclear medicine at the Northern Sydney Local Health District. His work in the field has also included serving as a president for the Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists.
GORDON PIKE – AM
Mr Pike was recognised for his significant service to engineering, and to the aerospace industry.
Mr Pike has served as an aerospace consultant since 2009 and is also a member of the Space Industry Association of Australia, Australian Space Research Institute and Engineers Australia.
LENORE ROBERTSON – AM
Ms Robertson was recognised for her significant service to the community, and to the arts.
The Longueville resident is the chair of the Robertson Family Foundation which supports an array of charitable entities. Her work in the community also includes holding various positions at the Griffin Theatre Company, Human Rights Watch and Saint Ignatius’ College in Riverview.
JUDITH SKINNER (KIRK) – AM
Ms Skinner was recognised for significant service to medicine, and to medical research, particularly in the field of cancer genetics.
The Kirribilli resident is the director of the familial cancer service at Westmead Hospital and is a board member for the Breast Cancer Advisory Group at Cancer Australia. Her work in the field has also included positions at the National Breast Cancer Centre and the National Breast Cancer Centre.
NEIL BIBBY – AM AFSM
Mr Bibby was recognised for his significant service to the community through emergency service organisations.
The Lane Cove resident is a member of the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, an editor at the Asia Pacific Fire Magazine and is a life member of the Emergency Services Foundation. He was previously the chief executive of the Country Fire Authority Victoria and was awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal in 1993.
JULIAN BICKERSTETH – AO
Mr Bickersteth was recognised for his distinguished service to the museum and arts sector, and to conservation and the environment.
Since 2019, the Wahroonga resident has served as president for the International Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and is also the president of the Association of Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Societies. His work in the field also includes holding positions for the National Trust of Australia (NSW), the The David Roche Foundation and the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials.
GRAHAM GRANT – AO
Mr Grant was recognised for his distinguished service to biomedical engineering as a pioneer of innovative equipment development, and to medicine.
The Roseville Chase resident has spearheaded multiple medical inventions including low-cost respiration airway monitors, safety drug administration needles and portable electric anaesthesia ventilators. He has also worked as an specialist anaesthetist and is a member of Engineers Australia
GLENDON FARROW – OAM
Mr Farrow was recognised for his service to military medicine and patient safety.
The Riverview resident is an honorary associate professor at the Macquarie University Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences and has held senior positions at hospitals including Royal North Shore Hospital, the Children’s Hospital Westmead, St Vincent’s Hospital. He has also held various roles within the Australian Defence Force including serving as a commanding officer for the ADF Sydney Area Health Service.
MARGARET-ANNE HAYES – OAM
Ms Hayes was recognised for her service to the community through a range of charitable organisations.
The Turramurra resident has been a donor and volunteer for organisations including the Can Too Foundation, Kolling Institute, Cure Cancer Australia Foundation and Seeing Eye Dogs. She is also a current volunteer for the flea market at Turramurra Uniting Church. Ms Hayes was previously awarded the Ku-ring-gai Local Woman of the Year at the NSW Woman of the Year Awards in 2014.
GUY FOWLER – OAM
Mr Fowler was recognised for his service to business, and to the community.
The Killara resident is the co-founder and director of Hearts and Minds Investments and has also held roles in the investment and advisory sector. His community work includes serving as an ambassador for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and as the director of the Baker College Foundation
PETER FREDERIKSEN – OAM
Mr Frederiksen was recognised for his service to dermatology.
The Roseville resident is the owner of Hornsby Dermatology and serves as the director of the Skin Hospital in Darlinghurst. He has also worked as visiting medical officer for Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, Bourke Hospital and Brewarrina Hospital.
YVONNE HAZELL – OAM
Ms Hazell was recognised for her service to the community through a range of roles.
The Neutral Bay resident has been a Volunteer Program Presenter at radio station 2RPH since 1996 and is a founding member of the Govett Street Bushcare Group. She has previously served as the president of the Mosman Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Mosman
SACHINT LAL – OAM
The late Dr Lal was recognised for his service to tertiary education, and to the community.
Mr Lal was a surgeon at Hawkesbury District Health Service and the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District from 1986 to 2008. He was also a member of the Australian Medical Association NSW and founded the Hawkesbury Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame
ROBERT LIONS – OAM
Mr Lions was recognised for his service to the community through a range of roles.
The Killara resident was a volunteer lighting technician at St Paul’s College, University of Sydney from 1964 to 2016 and has also held various positions within the Freemasons. He is a committee member of the Ku-ring-gai Community Workshop and a founding member and organiser of Inner City Lunchers.
ANTHONY PANG – OAM
Mr Pang was recognised for his service to the community through a range of roles.
The Wahroonga resident is the board director and deputy chair of the Chinese Australian Services Society, the vice president of the Chinese Australian Services Society and a member of the NSW Police Multicultural Advisory Council. . He is also a member of the Ku-ring-gai Chinese Support Group, a delivery driver and board member for Ku-ring-gai Hornsby Northern Beaches Meals on Wheels and a presenter for Northside Radio among other roles.
CHRISTOPHER PASH – OAM
Mr Pash was recognised for his service to the media and communications sector.
The Neutral Bay resident is a past chair of the Australian Society of Authors, and director of the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers’ Association. In 1995, he founded Asia Pulse and has served as the editor for AdNews since 2019.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
A dedicated specialist in emergency medicine and an avid cricket advocate who launched the state’s largest junior cricket team feature in the list of southwest Sydney residents on the 2024 Australia Day honours list released today.
The other three recipients — many of whom are not well known to the general public — are everyday unsung heroes who have been recognised for their selfless services to the community and their professions.
They include a long-serving Liverpool City councillor and a passionate advocate for the Lebanese community.
Clinical Associate Professor Matthew Chu – OAM
For significant service to emergency medicine, and to professional associations.
For Matthew Chu, being recognised for his significant contribution to emergency medicine was a “surprise” as he “wasn’t looking for accolades”
“All I can say is I’m literally floored by the fact someone would recognise what I’ve been doing and for that reason, it spurs me on to do other things,” he said.
“It means whatever I’ve been doing has an affect on others and I hope that I’ll be able to continue to do that in future.”
Professor Chu has worked closely with Canterbury hospital for more than two decades and has been the director of the Medical Assessment Unit, and Senior Specialist in Emergency Medicine, since 2013.
He has been the term supervisor and co-ordinator for Graduate Medical Placements, Canterbury Hospital since 1999 and has held a number of positions with the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine including senior examiner since 2002.
“I want to give back to the community I grew up in and help the people less fortunate than myself,” he said.
“I work with such a diverse group of people, a lot of them with disadvantaged backgrounds and they need to have a voice and it spurs me on because someone needs to advocate for them.”
Councillor Mazhar Hadid – OAM
For service to the community of Liverpool.
Mazhar Hadid has a long history advocating for the people of southwest Sydney and has served as a Liverpool City councillor since 2008.
“I am very honoured and I am proud and very humbled for the hard work and dedication that I have put into the local government and the community services for the last 35 years,” he said.
After immigrating to Australia in 1986, Mr Hadid had numerous roles in local government and community organisations, including as former deputy mayor from 2012-2014 and 2022-2023.
He was also a former board member of the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and has been the president of the Australian Islamic House since 2010.
“All the work I’ve done for the last 25 years, I can tell you that comes from the deep sense of giving back to the community and to the country who adopted me and given me countless opportunities to develop myself,” he said.
Peter Moore – OAM
For service to cricket in NSW
Peter Moore has been an advocate for cricket in southwest Sydney after he started playing in the under 12’s team for the Cabravale Diggers in the 1970s.
Mr Moore has held multiple roles, including president of the Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Association since 2011 and secretary since 2008.
“Last year we had our 100th anniversary Fairfield and Liverpool cricket associations and that was a big highlight for me,” he said.
He has held the position of Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Umpires Association and Hoxton Park Tigers Cricket Club president since 2020.
Despite now living in Bomaderry, Mr Moore travels to Liverpool twice a week to coach said his goal for 2024 was to petition for an indoor cricket centre.
“We need more facilities in the Liverpool area because of the growth in players, especially an indoor cricket centre which is vital because we don’t have one and that will be the next goal,” he said.
Sarkis Chahine Karam – OAM
For service to the Lebanese community of Sydney.
For Sarkis Karam, the recognition for his contribution to the Lebanese community has been the “greatest honour”.
“To have the name of Australia on a medal is one of the proudest moments I will ever have,” he said.
“Australia is the best country in the world and to contribute something to Australia which opened so many opportunities for me is very rewarding.”
Mr Karam is the current director of the Merrylands RSL Club and has served on multiple community organisations, including the Maronite Catholic Society of Australia
vice president from 2017 to 2020.
He was also the founding member of the Rydalmere Football Club in 1980 and the editor of Anahar – a Arabic-language daily newspaper.
David Allan William – OAM
For service to veterans, and to the community.
Merrylands local David William has been recognised for his service to veterans and the community for more than two decades.
Mr William was a member of the Royal Australian Navy between 1965 to 1985 and 1987 to 199 and was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal from 1945 to 1975 with Clasp Vietnam.
He has been a member of the Returned and Services League of Australia Merrylands Sub-Branch since 1975 and was the director from 1997 to 2001.
He has also volunteered in the southwest community as a former Aboriginal Student Support and Parent Awareness volunteer at Merrylands high school and has been a Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group member with Cumberland council since 2019.
Peter Bacha – OAM
For service to football, and to the community.
Rydalmere Football Club’s president was told he didn’t belong at the club when it was known as St Joseph’s Zgharta Soccer Club but 40 years down the track, he is the backbone of the flourishing establishment that boasts almost 700 players.
The West Ryde man known for his signature Akubra showed early drive to get involved in sport when he moved to his ancestral home of Lebanon as a 12 year old and formed a soccer team of Australian-born youngsters, called Aussies, in Tripoli for a two-year stint.
“It’s just been in my blood,’’ he said.
“I’m the black sheep of the family. Nobody played sport and back then our parents didn’t want us to play sport. It was ‘learn, study, learn a trade’ because they came out with no money.’’
The 64 year old was a founding member of Rydalmere Football Club in 1980 and has been a coach and player.
The Granville District Soccer and Football Association life member has garnered a swag of awards over the decades including the Parramatta Local Citizen of the Year in 2011.
His OAM “means the world” to him after 44 years at the club where he met his wife Yvonne and seen talented players thrive and soar to the A-League or overseas competitions.
“It means the world, and not just to me, it means the world to my family,’’ he said.
“People say ‘why do you do this?’ If I manage to keep the kids away from the street and become successful in life, I’m happy.
“It’s also because of the biggest family in the world I have – my football family.’’
He also praised other club members including Antoine and Marcel Zalloua, Simon Douehi and Najeb Mekary for their role in the club securing its National Premier League licence in 2012.
Lilian Margaret Ries – OAM
For service to community health.
At 100 years young, former Ronald McDonald House volunteer Lilian Ries is the oldest living OAM recipient in this year’s awards.
It’s perhaps the strong social connections she developed as a veteran volunteer with Ronald McDonald House that is the key to her longevity.
The Northmead woman started helping at the Westmead respite centre for sick children and their families when it opened in 1996 until 2022, on the cusp of becoming a centenarian.
“She lived quite close to Ronald McDonald House, and she watched it being built and she said to her husband ‘When that finishes I’m going to volunteer and work there,’’ Mrs Ries’ daughter-in-law Helen Ries said.
“The house is run mainly to assist country families who have little sick children and come for treatment and they can’t afford to stay at hotels for long periods of time, so it’s a home away from home, and it probably touched a nerve with her because she’s a country girl at heart.’’
Mrs Ries was raised on a farm in Wodonga in Victoria and moved to Sydney 63 years ago. She deployed her skills as a keen sewer to fix things when she helped out, and also loved a chinwag with families.
“She loved being part of that community and feeling she was able to help families because she’s never short of a word, so when someone’s sick sometimes the best thing is a distraction.’’
She still lives independently and, apart from a quadruple heart bypass 24 years ago, and a significant loss of hearing, is fighting fit.
Not even fighting an pneumonia six weeks in hospital could deflate her – it’s there she learned about her OAM nomination.
“She’s not one to be downtrodden,’’ Helen said.
Northern NSW
A North Coast woman who has dedicated her life to serving the marginalised and poorest people on the planet and a man offering hope to refugees feature in the Australia Day Honours list.
They and the other three recipients represent everyday heroes who have been recognised for their selfless service to the community.
Others include a doctor who is transforming the lives of teens through rites of passage programs and a beloved former senator who desperately wanted to help the people he represented in rural NSW.
Dr Arne Rubinstein (OAM)
Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to youth.
Mullumbimby doctor, Arne Rubinstein, founder of The Rites of Passage Institute, said he’s “just really happy” about the news.
“It’s nice to get recognised after 30 years of doing the work and all the hundreds of thousands of people who’ve been through the program here and around the world,” he said.
Dr Rubinstein said he hopes the award is a positive sign parents, carers, and mentors realise the need to create healthy habits for young people.
“I saw way too many young people come in who’ve done something stupid or life changing, and they were trying to create their own rites of passage through drugs, alcohol, and high-risk behaviour,” he said.
“The reason they were creating their own rites of passage was because there wasn’t anything there for them.”
He founded the Rites of Passage Institute in Mullumbimby in 1993.
“I just saw how (the program) changed lives and it sort of took over my life,” Dr Rubinstein said.
Reverend Dr John Tyman (OAM)
Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to cultural and religious education.
Former British army officer, Oxford scholar, and ordained priest, Reverend Dr John Tyman said he was “surprised” to receive an OAM.
“I am honoured,” he said.
With a passion for geography, religion and culture, he condensed studies of diverse cultures and taught them in schools and universities across Australia.
He has driven more than 500,000 km teaching more than 300,000 children.
Rev Dr Tyman is the current priest of Holy Trinity Anglican Church at Uki, where he runs the Uki Refugee Project.
He said he “remains haunted to this day” after experiencing the horrors of World War Two concentration camps.
“Twice a year we bring refugees down from Brisbane for a weekend in the country, the beach, the mountains, to take their minds of the agony of their uncertainties and we’re still doing this today,” he said.
John Reginald “Wacka” Williams (AM)
Appointed to the Order of Australia in the General Division for significant service to the parliament of Australia and to the community.
The former senator and National Party whip handed credit to his parliament staff after he was nominated for this “very prestigious” award.
“I appreciate it very much,” the Inverell farmer said.
“I never thought I’d be nominated for that.
“I’m very grateful to the Governor-General to award me with it.”
Mr Williams said he had the same full-time staff in his 11 years as senator.
“They were brilliant, they were very dedicated, very responsible, and always responded to any complaints,” he said.
“I had a very motivated chief of staff in Greg Kachel and I was very fortunate my time in parliament I had four brilliant staff members.”
He said the nickname “Whacka” stuck after he was caught running down the passageway of his parents’ hallway from the bathroom.
“My father was listening to the radio because we didn’t have TV in those days and he’d say Whack-o!” when I was running around naked as a three-year-old. It stuck for life,” he said.
Now tending to his property, the Inverell farmer said he also keeps himself busy on the board of the Financial Council of Australia and as chair of the Fisheries Research Development Corporation.
Dr Brian Patrick Pezzutti CSC RFD (AM)
Appointed to the Order of Australia in the General Division for significant service to the parliament of New South Wales, and to community health.
Passionate health advocate for the Northern Rivers, Dr Brian Pezzutti said it was “a nice surprise” to hear of his prestigious appointment.
“I got notified about considering it some time ago and I was notified two days ago that it’s been approved by the Governor-General,” he said.
“It’s a real honour, I didn’t expect it.”
Dr Pezzutti said his priority for establishing Lismore’s Liberal Party in 1983 happened around the time former premier Laurie Brereton reneged on promised money for the children’s ward at Lismore Base Hospital.
He said during that time Beth Trevan was rallying the community to raise funds and after Brereton announced they were not going ahead with it, the party was born.
“We formed the branch and went from there,” Dr Pezzutti said.
“I’ve been fighting since 1983 to get a fair deal for the people in the North Coast in terms of funding.
“We now have the brand-new hospital at the Tweed, Lismore Base has been totally rebuilt, and Grafton is having a $262m rebuild starting very soon.”
Dr Pezzutti said he has been doing locums all across the country.
Elizabeth Rhonda Ansiewicz (AM)
Appointed to the Order of Australia in the General Division for significant service to the community, particularly through social welfare groups.
Known around the traps as “Rhonda”, Ms Ansiewicz said she was not going to accept the honour at first.
“Then I heard the people that put it up spent two years in the process and I thought, I’ll never be able to face them again if I rejected it,” she said.
A community-oriented person at heart, Ms Ansiewicz said she enjoyed an “extraordinary” career.
She dedicated the award to the numerous people she has served and learned from.
“We always worked on the edge of society with the poorest people on Earth, and the most marginalised,” she said.
“I learned so much from them. This award is in honour of them.”
Coffs/Mid-North Coast
From a man who spent his entire life at sea to a community stalwart who has devoted her life to tourism, community heroes from across the Mid-North and Coffs Coast feature in the Australia Day Honours list.
Other inspirational Mid-North Coast residents to feature include a passionate award-winning author and academic who has published books on Australian songbirds and a specialist physician who remains committed to training the next generation of quality doctors in rural Australia.
Noel Mervyn Bultitude (OAM)
Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to the community of Woolgoolga.
Woolgoolga firey Noel Bultitude joined the brigade as a foundation member in 1949.
He has extinguished fires across the state as senior deputy captain, deputy captain and captain.
The 89-year-old said he has no intention of “giving it away” and doesn’t care if he has to be “carried out”.
He’s still on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Woolgoolga Fire Brigade.
It came as a “surprise” to his wife, Betty, and himself, when the letter arrived notifying them.
The 74-year veteran said he was a “little embarrassed” about receiving the honour.
“Somebody rang me up, and yeah, I got a letter,” he said, “And I got nominated, that’s how I found out,” he said.
“The doc said I’m not too bad for my age. I can still handle a pump and a hose.”
The captain of 27 years said he still mows lawns and you’ll find him on the golf course at Woolgoolga in between “bushfire business”.
Uncle Terrence William Donnovan (OAM)
Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to the community, particularly Indigenous health.
Mr Terrence “Uncle Terry” Donovan, a Gumbayngirr/Biripai man of Nambucca Heads, said the award “sort of surprised him”.
He said, being an Aboriginal person, he never expected anything from the Australian government and was “shocked” considering some of his views.
Uncle Terry has had diverse careers ranging from military service, working in local government and non-for-profit community services, to providing education to health professionals on Aboriginal cultural awareness.
He collected information about Aboriginal sacred sites, history and culture while employed as one of three Aboriginal sites officers at the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service in order to register and preserve sacred sites.
The academic said he “totally accepted” the honour coming from his colleagues.
“It gives me a feeling of satisfaction for the work I do within the science field and then the dementia field and Aboriginal communities, so yes, I am rather proud of it,” he said.
Uncle Terry currently works with the Koori Growing Old Well Study team on the Mid-North Coast as a knowledge translation officer.
Janette Kerry Hyde (OAM)
Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to the community of Port Macquarie.
Passionate advocate for tourism in her hometown of Port Macquarie, and president of the only tourism association in the region, Janette Hyde said she was “overwhelmed” she had been nominated for an OAM.
“Overwhelmed is the word for it – it’s just amazing,” she said.
A life member of Business Port Macquarie, the retired marketing manager of the Port Macquarie Panthers said the Greater Port Macquarie Tourism Association was formed to give direction for the many visitor-focused businesses in the area.
“I’ve been involved with the Greater Port Macquarie Tourism Association for over 40 years,” Ms Hyde said.
“It’s something I’m really passionate about and I know how much it means to the local economy.”
She said if you live in the Port Macquarie region, you benefit from tourism in some way – and that’s why she supports it.
“I’m humbled, because there are so many people in our industry that work behind the scenes to bring events and help make businesses grow,” Ms Hyde said.
Dr Anne Therese Knight (OAM)
Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to medicine through a range of roles.
Specialist physician, teacher, and mentor to the next generation of doctors, Taree’s Dr Anne Knight said she felt “very honoured” to be nominated.
“I’m a bit overwhelmed to be honest,” Dr Knight said.
“It’s very nice to get that sort of community recognition, I guess.”
Beginning her career in 1984, Dr Knight has spent 32 years in Taree.
The senior lecturer in medicine at Newcastle University is driven to provide the highest standard of care to patients and to ensure strong continuation of the profession by training the next generation of medical experts.
“I stopped seeing patients a few months ago so I can focus on educating young doctors,” she said.
“I work at the hospital as director of general medicine and run a lot of portfolios especially to do with junior doctor training.
“With this award, I am very humbled and very honoured.”
Gordon Wilson Gray (OAM)
Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to the community through a range of organisations.
Life member of Camden Haven Marine Rescue, Gordon Gray said he thought it was a scam when he got his letter in the mail from the Governor-General’s office.
“I passed it on to a friend of mine and he said ‘no, no, that’s a fair dinkum thing’,” Mr Gray said.
“So I am totally surprised when it came through.”
After immigrating to Australia as a teen, Mr Gray worked with the Maritime Services Board, Sydney until 1969, then served as a maritime pilot in Yamba.
“When I got up to Yamba, my good wife and I were used to being at sea without much social life, so she said ‘when you get that job at Yamba you get yourself involved’,” Mr Gray said.
The Scotsman established himself in sporting and maritime causes, and at the Maclean Hospital.
“I was on the hospital board for 12 years with my friend Trisha Costa, and I joined various other organisations,” he said.
“I just like helping people.
“Obviously I didn’t expect this sort of thing.”
The 85-year-old said joining community groups to help people and put smiles on their faces was simply a “joy to do”.
“It’s great fun,” he said.
Ms Joyce May Marshall (OAM)
Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to the community through a range of roles.
A Country Women’s Association (CWA) stalwart from Nana Glenn, Joyce Marshall has spent almost 50 years with the iconic institution.
“I joined the CWA in ‘72, I’ve done a lot of different things in the branches along the way,” she said.
Her initial reaction to being notified for an award was: “Who did this to me?”
“I thought there’s a bit of information there but I still can’t work it out, it’s somebody that knows a fair bit about me … ,” Ms Marshall said.
Ms Marshall was a member with Lismore CWA branch for 15 years, served at Sawtell for five years, then moved to Glenreagh in 1992 – where she served as president and remains a member to this day.
“I’m not the president now,” she said.
“I think let someone else do the jobs and learn how to do everything. It’s the only way somebody changes everything and it moves things along.”
The 87-year-old was also part of the founding group behind the Australian Lace Guild.
She learned the intricate craft of bobbin lace making in 1978, before teaching it via workshops and at other branches across the country for 40 years.
“You make handmade lace on a pillow with all little bobbins. It’s one of the things that’s my scene,” she said.
Emeritus Professor Gisela Kaplan (AM)
Appointed to the Order of Australia in the General Division for significant service to science education through research into animal behaviour.
Award-winning author and academic, Professor Gisela Kaplan from Coffs Harbour said it was a “surprise” to be nominated.
“I am very pleased because I do a lot of work for Australian native birds and that kind of award means there is a general approval for the work I do,” she said.
Ms Kaplan said she started studying Aussie birds after a baby magpie literally spoke to her in her front yard.
“It was already free and able to roam about and it said to me ‘I’ve got dinner for you’,” she said.
“I looked at the bird and thought what on Earth is happening here, am I dreaming? And it did it again the next day.
“The bird was speaking very clearly in human language so I got intrigued by this.”
She started recording vocalisations and Professor Kaplan has been studying Australian songbirds ever since.
“There were dimensions to birds I never thought possible, like the correct mimicry, the ability for friendship, their learning capacity, and the affectionate nature of Australian birds that are quite willing to make friends with you … the fascination has never left me,” she said.
Prof Kaplan said she was glad her work was being recognised and pleased with her efforts to get knowledge out to the general public to benefit from.
Dr Grahame Bruce Douglas (AM)
Appointed to the Order of Australia in the General Division for significant service to the community through bushfire governance, research, and mentoring roles.
Korora local Dr Grahame Douglas was “very surprised” and “very pleased” when he learned he has been appointed to the Order of Australia.
“Having really worked in the bushfire research and governance areas since the 1994 fires, you just work away and you don’t actually expect to see anything come out of it,” he said.
A lifetime ambassador for living among and dealing with fires in a better way, Dr Douglas volunteered with the Department of Bushfire Services (now known as the Rural Fire Service), as a conservationist, and hasn’t looked back.
“I investigate house losses and the reasons why people lose their lives or properties in the wake of a major bushfire event,” he said.
“I’ve also done research on the implications of fire weather conditions and how that’s changing under the influence of climate change over the last few decades.”
The 70-year-old continues to work with a variety of educational institutions, councils, and buyer services, teaching them about the implications of bushfires on people, property and livelihoods.
Hunter
An Australian first Indigenous surgeon, a Hunter councillor, a renowned wine maker and some of the region’s most brightest and recognised academics have made it onto the prestigious Australia Day Honours list for 2024.
We pay tribute to all those who have dedicated countless hours to community service across the Hunter Region, each having been nominated for this national recognition of service.
Conjoint Professor Tracy Elizabeth Dudding-Byth
Member of the Order of Australia (AM). For significant service to medical research, particularly genetics, and to the community.
On the Hunter New England Local Health District team, Professor Dudding-Byth has been a clinical geneticist since 2012 and achieved conjoint Professor at the University of Newcastle in School of Medicine and Public Health since 2020.
A chief investigator on the FaceMatch Project and Neurofibromatosis, she’s also a co-founding Director at Rare Voices Australia since 2012.
“For me the patients and the families I look after are the most inspiring,” she said.
“I’m a clinical geneticist but also a mother of daughter Grace who has a rare disease so I wanted to contribute to the lives of Australians with rare disease and to promote rare diseases as a research priority.
“Back in 2010 there was no dedicated money for research in this, with two other mothers we established the national advocacy called Rare Voices Australia in 2012 and a goal to have a national rare disease plan.
“We spent a decade lobbying the government and engaging with stakeholders before minister Hunt endorsed a national rare disease framework. I feel proud of our achievements.”
Professor Dudding-Byth also won the Data Innovation Award for Research Australia in 2021.
Dr Jennifer Joan Barnes – Islington + Dr Rodney Harold Barnes
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). For service to the performing arts through opera, and to the community / For service to music, and to the community.
It’s a husband and wife team that were creative souls from the beginning. Ms Barnes originally a maths teacher and Mr Barnes an architect, they combined their strong talent to teach what they loved, music.
“Both of us were creatives desperately wanting to break out of that,” Ms Barnes said.
“Over the years we built profiles for ourselves and made a business and our other passion is for our church, it’s a really energising liberating part of life for us, behind Adamstown Art, encouraging artists to come and perform at the church.
“We make some money for the church and we also make it affordable, probably being doing that for 25-30 years and it doesn’t look like stopping.”
But it all started for Ms Barnes as a TV star in Newcastle in the 1960s doing a weekly TV show as a teenager before later in life turning to classical singing.
“Never expected to get to the stage where I performed professionally,” she said.
“Went to audition for Opera Australia, I had breast cancer at that stage which was a speed bump, but a few years later got over it and had another go and was given the job of understudy for the main role in Madame butterfly for the beautiful Cheryl Barker who was the star of the company.
“I would end up going on stage for her, it was a dream come true and very rare.”
Mr Barnes was also involved in the Newcastle and Hunter Jazz Club Inc, Lake Macquarie Philharmonic Orchestra, Newcastle Music Festival and The Barbarians Orchestra, current.
Lucia Wilcox
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). For service to netball.
A volunteer that has dedicated a big part of her life to a sport she loves, netball. Humbled by news of the prestigious award.
“I was overwhelmed because when I was nominated I was overseas watching the rugby union Australia in the world cup,” she laughed.
“I didn’t know what to say, I was nervous.”
A Life Member of the Newcastle Netball Association since 2005, Ms Wilcox has taken up a number of roles to help nurture and develop the upcoming young talent, including junior vice-president, carnival convener and state representative coach
As a 2020 Hunter Region senior volunteer of the year, this committed local has also been administrators for the Hunter United Metro League and Newcastle State Netball League, and was a push behind Newcastle’s Greater Bank series.
Continuing to fight for better recognition for the sport and its local achievements.
“There is not enough recognition that players here deserve and we’ve been fighting for indoor facilities for years now, backwards and forwards to governments and parliament,” Ms Wilcox explained.
“A big city like this we do not have any indoor facilities. We’ve got to do something.”
Professor Kelvin Matthew Kong – Newcastle
AM – For significant service to medicine as an Otolaryngologist, and to Indigenous health
Laureate Professor Jennifer Mary Gore
AM – For significant service to tertiary education
Professor Brett Mitchell
AM – For significant service to nursing, particularly infection prevention and control.
MACARTHUR
Catherine Ann Sedgwick - AM
For service to the community through history preservation.
Sydney south-west local Catherine Sedgwick has helped families all over Australia find out about their loved ones who fought or trained in the United Kingdom during WWI.
She has researched World War One gravesites in the UK for over a decade and located 2000 Australian gravesites, aiming to cover 2900 in total.
She happened to stumble on this discovery of Australians who had been buried in the UK when doing research on her husband’s great grandfather in Dinton UK.
“There was a local nearby village called Compton Chamberlayne, where it had 28 Aussie soldiers were buried which was weird since there weren’t any battles nearby,” she said.
She discovered that these soldiers were sent there to train and had died from pneumonia or other ailments.
“I felt like I needed to find out why…I just don’t want them to be forgotten and feel they should be honoured,” she said.
“I do this because a lot of Australians are buried in the UK and ANZAC day focuses on the big graveyards in Belgium and France. And I dont think people know theres 3000 Australians who were buried in the UK.”
Dr Brett Anthony Summerell - AM
For significant service to the environment through plant pathology and mycology.
Dr Brett Summerell has been recognised for his vital research into plant diseases caused by fungi and into the prevention and treatment of these diseases.
“It’s pretty amazing that someone working in plant science and research could win an award like this,” he said.
Dr Summerell has spent over 30 years researching plant science and 20 years leading a team of world-class plant scientists.
But he says he’s been collecting fungi and plants his entire life - finding joy in Australian bush landscapes such as the Wollemi Pine in Wollemi National Park.
“I’ve always had an interest in the live world of plants and the natural world - I studied agricultural science because I wanted to find better ways to grow food,” he said.
Dr Summerell has helped establish vital scientific facilities such as PlantClinic, the Australian PlantBank and the National Herbarium of New South Wales located in Mount Annan’s Botanical Gardens.
Jenny Kay Lambert - OAM
For service to business.
Jenny Lambert has spent the last four decades working in industrial relations and found herself chief executive officer of four different employer industry groups throughout her career.
“It’s a very rewarding thing to do to try and work out better ways for people to get into jobs and organise traineeships, apprenticeships and pathways for people,” she said.
Ms Lambert attended the UN’s International Labour Organization in Geneva in 2015 as one of Australia’s representatives at the UN’s International Labour Organization.
Growing up and living in the Macarthur region, she was the first of her family to go to university - she achieved an undergraduate degree in business at Sydney University in 1982 and later graduated with an MBA from Charles Sturt University in 2010.
“I grew up in the Southern Highlands in Bundanoon and hardly anyone where I went to school even went near Uni,” she said.
Ms Lambert’s experience of the “power of education” also drives her passion for youth employment and advising the government on traineeships and apprenticeships to allow for people to get both an education and work at the same time.
“I did my MBA in 2010 at Charles Sturt which I did through distance education so I could be there for my 2 beautiful daughters and also work,” she said.
“I’m very honoured to be recognised, I’m very passionate about what I do.”
Associate Professor Ian James Bickerton - OAM
For service to tertiary education, and to mental health support organisations.
Bowral local Associate Professor Ian James Bickerton has been recognised for his contribution to education and commitment to teaching and research.
Prof Ickerton has worked at UNSW’s School of History since 1968 and has also taught in the U.S. at Pomona College (California), University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of California-Santa Barbara.
Ian Bickerton was also a visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the Oxford Centre of Hebrew and Jewish Studies.
Mr Bickerton has been published extensively on the Arab-Israeli conflict, US relations with Israel, and US foreign relations and military history and most recently a guide to John F. Kennedy’s life.
He has travelled widely in the U.S. and carried out research in U.S. presidential libraries and Israeli State Archives. During the past decade he taught U.S exchange students in Florence, Italy.
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