Full list: Inner west residents recognised in Australia Day honours list

A mum who created a charity after the tragic death of her baby daughter, a tireless multiple sclerosis researcher and an internationally lauded jeweller are among the inner west residents to make the 2023 Australia Day honours list.

The outstanding achievements of residents across the inner west have been recognised in the 2023 Australia Day Honours.

Among the recipients is Justine Perkins who was recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to the community through her charitable organisations.

It was the death of Ms Perkins’s eight-month-old daughter, Olivia, which spurred the Drummoyne resident to create Touched by Olivia, a charity in her daughter’s memory.

“Olivia died in 2006 very suddenly — she lost her battle with illness and it was a devastating time for us as new parents because we were completely blindsided,” Ms Perkins said.

“We created the Touched by Olivia Foundation because she deserves a legacy just like everyone else.”

Justine Perkins.

Now the charity works with communities to connect people together, creating more than 42 inclusive play spaces across Australia.

Ms Perkins also works with the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick, investing in medical support to help other children living with rare medical conditions.

For her commitment to community and connecting people, Ms Perkins has already been honoured as the Inner West’s Citizen of the Year in 2008 and Canada Bay Council’s Citizen of the Year in 2007.

Also honoured was Dr Therese Burke who was appointed a member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her service to medicine, particularly to multiple sclerosis research and nursing.

Dr Burke has worked in immunology research for approximately three decades and turned her focus to multiple sclerosis research 17 years ago.

Dr Therese Burke.

“I was working in Westmead Hospital and they … were doing some really interesting MS research there,” she recalled.

“What drew me in was the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people who were facing an uncertain future.

“We set up the first MS clinic at Westmead and also a research institute for MS — and after 17 years we’re still not there but we’re getting closer (to developing a cure).”

Leichhardt local Nicola Cerrone was also honoured with an OAM for service to the jewellery industry and to the community.

Nicola Cerrone.

Mr Cerrone immigrated to Australia from his hometown of Lanciano, Italy, when he was 10-years-old.

He left school when he was 15-years-old and soon discovered his love for jewellery making and was motivated to set up a business making jewellery in Australia, rather than importing it from overseas.

Since then Mr Cerrone has earned an impressive list of honours including the De Beers Diamonds International Award, a Knighthood of the Italian Republic and Fashion Group International’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence.

“When your country admires you, it motivates you — it’s a great feeling for your soul,” he said.

Other recipients from the Inner West

Dr Coral Kemp (OAM)

Balmain local Coral Kemp was recognised for her service to special needs education.

“I decided to pursue a career in this area because, in my first year of teaching primary school, I realised that many of my students had significant learning needs that I did not have the skills to address,” Dr Kemp said.

“(Since then) I have held many positions in special education in both the disability and education sectors.

“I am most proud of the early childhood programs that I established at Macquarie University Special Education Centre and later in the community through the STAR Association.”

Professor Jennifer May Burn (AM)

Professor Jennifer Burn.

Lewisham resident, Jennifer Burn, was also honoured for her service to the law in the field of anti slavery and migration.

Professor Burn first became involved in antislavery advocacy when she met women who had been trafficked from South East Asia to Australia in the early 2000s, and she was able to use her skills as a migration lawyer to provide visa information and certainty to them.

“(Since then) I’ve had the privilege of working closely with extraordinary human rights practitioners and wonderful colleagues at Anti-Slavery Australia at the University of Technology Sydney, with law students and academic colleagues and with many outstanding partners in civil society, business and in government,” she said.

“The antislavery community is marked by partnership and a shared commitment to humanity and we have all been strengthened by each other.”

In 2020 Professor Burn was recognised by the Law Council of Australia as the Outstanding Migration Lawyer of the Year.

The Honourable Professor Verity Firth (AM)

The Honourable Professor Verity Firth.

Verity Firth, a Glebe resident, was honoured for her service to the parliament of NSW and to social inclusion.

“I was thrilled and felt very flattered to have been nominated,” she said.

“Working in education access and social inclusion means that there are many people working on every successful project, it’s always a team effort.”

Dr Firth said the highlights of her career include establishing scholarships for refugees to access schools and universities, working with the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group in northwestern NSW and helping to introduce the Domestic Violence Death Review Team as part of the NSW Coroner’s Court.

Janice Lesley Challinor (OAM)

Janice Challinor was awarded an OAM for her service to the community of Glebe.

She is a volunteer driver for the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and until 2020 was the convener of the Glebe Society’s community development subcommittee.

She is also a volunteer at the Rainbow Lodge, Asylum Seeker Centre, Elsie Women’s Refuge and a volunteer presenter on Radio 2RPH.

Karen Craigie (OAM)

Karen Craigie.

Karen Craigie, a Strathfield South local, was honoured for her service to children.

“Starting my organisation – Prosper (Project Australia) – and watching it continue to grow every year and reach so many children and families in need is wonderful,” Ms Craigie said.

“It has taken a lot of hard work and the input of great people. The organisation itself is such a pleasure to be a part of and it is excellent to be in a team that makes such good work happen.”

Henry James Delaney (OAM)

Croydon Park resident, Henry Delaney, was honoured for his service to the community through a range of organisations including St John Ambulance Australia, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union and the Australian Labor Party.

Ellen Louie (OAM)

Ellen Louie, a Burwood resident, was awarded an OAM for her service to aged welfare.

Ms Louie has served as the chair of the Australian Nursing Home Foundation since 2012 and also as the foundation’s legal adviser.

Darren Curtis Mitchell (OAM)

Darren Mitchell.

Darren Mitchell, a Newtown local, was honoured for his service to veterans.

“I am proud, and humbled, to serve alongside many passionate and committed volunteers involved in commemorating the legacy of those who have served in our defence forces, especially those who have suffered or died as a result of their service,” Mr Mitchell said.

“I was standing at the Cenotaph in the city one day observing a commemoration ceremony and witnessed the breadth of civic, government and veterans‘ representatives involved and realised that all of us are indebted, not only to those whose sacrifice was being remembered, but also to those of succeeding generations who have not forgotten the service and sacrifices of the past.

“It is a privilege to play some part in ensuring that those in my generation and younger take hold of this responsibility, guarding and guiding it into the future.”