Queen’s Birthday honours 2022: 14 northern beaches residents named
A groundbreaking racing yacht builder and a woman who has rescued hundreds of endangered native animals are among 14 peninsula residents on the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Manly
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A man who built state of the art America’s Cup racing yachts and a woman who has saved the lives of hundreds of native animals feature in the list of northern beaches residents on the 2022 Queens Birthday Honours released today.
The other 12 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 dedicated medical researcher into the use of cannabis for medical use, a kidney physician and two brave bush firefighters.
Lynleigh Greig, who volunteered for 11 years to help save the lives of native animals in distress, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to wildlife conservation.
Ms Greig, from Elanora Heights, has rushed from her home countless times as a volunteer from Sydney Wildlife Rescue to rescue creatures ranging from snakes and baby wallabies to wedge tailed eagles, from the sides of roads to urban backyards.
She is currently the services’ reptile co-ordinator and has spent hours helping raise funds for a dedicated wildlife rescue van and mobile care unit.
Ms Greig also volunteers with Waratah Park, the animal refuge at Duffys Forest.
“I was born in Africa, where it’s pretty hard to ignore the wildlife,” she said. “In Australia, however, most of the wildlife is small and nocturnal so it’s easy for them to be ignored.
“In fact, we lived in Australia for nearly six years without ever seeing a wild animal (other than birds) outside of a wildlife park or a zoo. We were only reminded of their existence when seeing them as roadkill on our way to work”
“My neighbour had a diamond python in his green-house … She was magnificent. I reached out to touch her and when she turned to face me, it was the most sublime moment. But nobody else shared my awe. They wanted her gone from their sight. It was just plain sad.
“I think it was at that moment that I decided I would be their champion and do my best – not just to protect them – but to reawaken people’s wonder in the natural world.”
As a boy, John McConaghy developed a love of, and fascination with, sailing boats — and sailing them fast.
Growing up at Seaforth, Mr McConaghy started racing dinghies and went on to become one of the pre-eminent boat builders in Australia.
The retired boat builder, who now lives at Avalon Beach, has been pointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to the yacht manufacturing sector.
Mr McConaghy’s expertise saw him construct yachts that took part in America’ Cup regattas, including Spirit of Australia and Australia 95 through his former northern beaches-based business McConaghy, which he sold to associates on 2000.
The business started at Brookvale, moved to Dee Why and is now based at Mona Vale.
As a pioneer of using composite materials such as kevlar and carbon fibre, he also build successful Sydney to Hobart race vessels such as Wild Oats XI and Black Jack.
“I started out building dinghies, Moths, for the first 10 years then went on to 18-footers.
“People would come to me and I’d build them whatever they wanted, basically.
“The first America’s Cup boat we built, for Ian Murray, was Spirit of Australia.”
Mr McConaghy said he still does some work for friends in his workshop at home.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my working life, I loved it.”
Alan Brinkworth emigrated from England in 1968 as a young man and joined the Belrose bushfire brigade in 1972.
Then in 1994, the former quantity surveyor, joined the service as a salaried employee before working his way to becoming manager of State Operations of the NSW Rural Fire Service in 2010.
During all those years he was still turning out as a volunteer with the Ingleside, Terrey Hills and Warringah/Pittwater headquarters brigades.
His roles as a volunteer included captain and Warringah Shire Training officer. He was awarded the Australian Fire Service medal in 1992.
Mr Brinkworth as been the RFS’s honorary historian since 2013.
He was also sent to devastating forest fires in the US states of California and Oregon in 2002.
Mr Brinkworth, from Terrey Hills, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to emergency response organisations.
“I’d always wanted to join the service, but I joined two years later that I should have done because I didn't know how to go about finding out where they re and what they did,” he said.
“A friend, who lived up the top of the street and was in the brigade, first took me along and that was it from there.
“It’s an absolute privilege to be part of the organisation.
“There are some wonderful people in it who are community minded, want to help their community.
“That’s what it’s all about.”
Also on the list are:
Deidre Anderson: Member of the Order of Australia
For significant service to tertiary education, and to sports administration.
At Macquarie University, Dr Anderson has been Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Students and Registrar; Executive Director, Campus Experience; Chief Executive Officer, Sport and Recreation and Director, Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
She is the current chair of the National Rugby League Players Association and former chair of UniSport Australia (formerly Australian University Sports).
Dr Anderson was also manager, Athlete Career and Education at the Australian Institute of Sport and; is the Athlete Well-being and Engagement Manager, with the Australian women’s softball team since 2018.
Barry Lambert: Member of the Order of Australia
For significant service to cannabinoid medical research, to business, and to charitable organisations.
Mr Lambert, of Collaroy, is the chairman and major financial supporter, Ecofibre, an Australian industrial cannabis company.
Among his philanthropic and medical research activities he is co-founder of the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics a the University of Sydney, 2016.
He also co-founded the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal
Cannabis and Hemp, Thomas Jefferson University, Pennsylvania, USA.
As well as supporting a range of start-up companies in the health, technology and financial services area, Mr Lambert is a campaigner for the legalisation of medical cannabis.
Gregory Preston: Member of the Order of Australia
For significant service to the property valuation industry.
Mr Preston, has had a number of roles with the Australian Property Institute, including being its National and NSW president as well as being a member of the Australian Valuation Standards Board.
He is the current chair of the Property Funds Association’s communications committee, and is member of the University of Technology Sydney’s School Built Environment Industry Advisory Panel and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Dr John Stewart: Member of the Order of Australia
For significant service to medicine as a nephrologist.
Dr Stewart, of Balgowlah, was past president of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology as well as a Fellow and life member of the Royal Australian College of Physicians.
He was a former Professor of Renal Medicine at Sydney University and former head of renal medicine at Westmead Hospital as well as head of the renal department at Sydney Hospital.
Joan Bratel: Medal of the Order of Australia
For service to people with cerebral palsy.
Mrs Bratel, of Balgowlah, has worked at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance as clinical psychologist, 1986-2021 as well as its manager for Client Wellbeing.
She also founded its Conductive Education and Individual and Family Support programs.
Janet Judd: Medal of the Order of Australia
For service to conservation and the environment.
Ms Judd, of Narrabeen, has been a chair and member of the Northern Plains Regional Advisory Committee, served on the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Advisory Council and has been a Nature Conservation Council representative.
Dr Jonathan King: Medal of the Order of Australia
For service to community history.
Dr King, an historian and author from Avalon Beach, was the founder of the project to re-enact the voyage of the eleven ships of the First Fleet to Australia during the Bicentennial in 1988.
He also led battlefield tours to Gallipoli and the Western Front for the Centenary of World War I an was the director of the Burke and Wills 150th Anniversary expedition from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Dr King managed the Matthew Flinders’ re-enactment of his circumnavigation of Australian 2002; the Man from Snowy River 100th Anniversary re-enactment in 1995 and: the Centenary Celebrations for Waltzing Matilda in Queensland in 1994.
He was involved in the production of about 20 documentaries and films on Australia’s heritage
including Last Ten Anzacs.
Dr King founded Northern Beaches Clean Up and has been a board director with the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Dr Daniel White: Medal of the Order of Australia
For service to education
Dr White, from Narrabeen, was executive director of Sydney Catholic Schools from 2009-19 as well as being a member of the National Catholic Education Commission six years and on the NSW Catholic Education Commission for nine years.
He was also director Tasmanian Catholic Education Office from 2003-08 and has sat on a number of boards including NSW Board of Studies and an was a member, Senate of Australian Catholic University.
Amanda Farrar: Public Service Medal
For outstanding public service to arts and culture in NSW.
Mrs Farrar, from Brookvale, is the director, public affairs and development at the Australian Museum.
She has made a significant contribution to the Museum in the areas of
environmental sustainability, accessibility and inclusion, and fundraising strategies.
In particular, Mrs Farrar has been a key driver of the Australian Museum’s sustainability
agenda, which has seen it become the first museum in the country to achieve the Federal Government’s accredited Carbon Neutral status.
She has also overseen the implementation of early morning openings for children with autism to explore an uncrowded Museum.
Scott Crosweller: Australian Fire Service Medal
Mr Crosweller, from Duffys Forest, has been a member of the Warringah Pittwater Headquarters Rural Fire Brigade since 1985 and voted as a Life Member of the RFS in 2000.
Mr Crosweller has been part of the response to incidents including the 1988 Morton
National Park fires in Nowra; 1994 Eastern Seaboard fires; 1996 Eastern Suburbs hail
storm; 2006 Cromer fires, the 2013 West Head fire and the ferocious 2019-2020 bushfires.
As Brigade Captain, Mr Crosweller was instrumental in securing land for a Headquarters
station and raising funds for its construction. He was promoted to District Group Officer in
2000, then Group Captain in 2006, a position he still holds.
Mr Crosweller has performed as Strike Team Leader, Divisional Commander and Operations
Officer and as part of the Northern Beaches Operations team.
Judy Malcolm: Medal of the Order of Australia
For service to sport in a range of roles
Ms Malcolm, formerly of Newport, was prominent in touch football and netball on the northern beaches as well as at a national and state level from as far back as 1967.
Few people can claim elite sports representation in more than one sport. Judy Malcolm (nee O’Connor) was selected to represent NSW in both netball and touch football and also picked for Australia for touch footy.
She also devoted several decades to coaching children and young people in these sports, from the grassroots to the elite high performance levels.
Ms Malcolm represented Manly Warringah, Eastwood Ryde and NSW as an elite netball representative and also coached for NSW. Her work promoting netball and other sports in schools has been exemplary over many decades, resulting in her award of Life Membership of the Primary Schools Sports Association and being inducted into the NSW Touch Football Association Hall of Fame in 2008.
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