Australia Day Awards: South coast heroes recognised in Australia Day 2022 Honours List
From a passionate local historian to a humble and hardworking veteran, these are the south coast’s heroes recognised in the Australia Day 2022 Honours List.
The South Coast News
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Nine south coast heroes have been recognised for their contributions to the community in the Australia Day 2022 Honours List, from a local historian with a keen eye for local landscapes to a hardworking veteran.
Governor-General David Hurley said this year’s recipients represented the strength and diversity of Australia, with achievements in the fields of science, sports and the arts being recognised.
“Congratulations to the outstanding Australians recognised in today’s Honours List,” he said.
“It has been a challenging couple of years and the recipients announced today are a reminder and reflection of the richness of spirit, selflessness and good in our community.”
Women made the list more than ever this year, with the highest percentage of female awardees since the Honours List first began in 1975.
There were 346 awards handed out to women, representing 47 per cent of the total list.
Among them are six south coast women whose work in the areas of firefighting, local history and public service reform were recognised.
“We will continue to increase awareness and encourage nominations for people from parts of our community that have been historically under-represented,” the Governor-General said.
Read all about the nine local legends of the south coast:
Doctor Lenore Coltheart
Dr Coltheart said the award was recognition of the significance of local history and the people working to preserve it.
“It’s a real boost to understanding the history of place, both indigenous history and built history,” she said.
Since retiring from the University of Adelaide in the ’90s, Dr Coltheart said she had strived to weld an academic approach to history with one that is more “on the ground” and immediate.
“I like the idea we can read our history from the landscapes, and the sort of continuity that that gives,” she said.
With record emigration to the south coast off the back of years of floods and fires, Dr Coltheart said it was a poignant time for local history to be recognised.
“Partly because of the develop mode of transportation in NSW, the south coast became this sort of jewel of un-development, as it were,” she said.
“In a way that has also protected the south coast, and one of the most amazing things that I would recommend people do is to take the plane out of Moruya along the coastline.
“You can see how many little beaches; how many gorgeous places there are that seem absolutely untouched.
“Around the Australia coastline, these areas are becoming rarer and rarer. So, the fact that NSW has this wonderfully undeveloped or relatively undeveloped area, I think is tremendously important.”
Dr Coltheart was excited for future development, but added that it needed to take into account the local history and the need to conserve the local environment.
“I might be sounding a little bit optimistic,” she laughed.
“But, I think we have a lot to be optimistic about here.”
Bryan Allan Wheeler
Humble 79-year-old veteran Bryan Wheeler has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to veterans and their families.
The Batemans Bay resident has been a member of the RSL for more than 40 years, and has served as its director since 2012 and as director of the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club since 2016.
The navy veteran was humbled by the award, and said he welcomed any veteran or their family into the RSL if they needed help
“You sign the dotted line, no matter what, you’re one of us,” he said.
“Whether you‘re a veteran or a family member, I’ll do whatever I can to get you what you need.”
Mr Wheeler said the last two years of the Covid pandemic have been tough for veterans.
The biggest challenge veterans face at the moment is misinformation or a lack of information, he said.
“(The veterans) don’t know what they’ve got going for them, or where to go to get it,” he said.
“So that’s what we do; veterans come to us and we set them down and get down to the root of what they need.
“Veterans won’t tell you they’re going crook.”
While he was appreciative of his award, Mr Wheeler said, if he could, he would rather it go to healthcare workers amid the current Covid crisis.
“If I could give this to frontline workers today, I would give it to them,” he said.
“Or, if I could split it up, I’d give half to my wife.”
Mr Wheeler is also a long-time member of the Rural Fire Service, and was a member from 2005 until 2018 when he left aged 75.
Allan Edward McDonald
Allan Edward McDonald has been posthumously awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community through a range of roles.
The Ulladulla resident has long been a fixture at the Lions Club of Ulladulla Milton, having served as a member from 1991 until his death last year, and as the organisation’s president six times between 1994 and 2017
Wife Ann McDonald was happy that her husband received the award, but said it was “heartbreaking” that he couldn’t be there to receive it.
With 10 brothers and sisters, as well as children and grandchildren, Ms McDonald said there would be plenty of people celebrating the 73-yer-old’s life on Australia Day.
“He’s just done so much for the community here alone,” she said.
“Our two sons will be amazed.”
During his time with the Lion’s Club, Ms McDonald said her husband welcomed more than 30 new members into the organisation.
“He always supported the new people that we got in,” Ms McDonald said.
“He loved talking and he just helped people wherever he could.
“He just enjoyed doing it.”
Jan Elizabeth Phillips
Jan Elizabeth Phillips has been made a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to palliative care and oncological nursing.
The Deua River Valley resident left Moruya in the late 90s to work in hospitals around the world, from Pakistan to Indonesia.
She has helped train nursing staff from across Asia, including Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Ms Phillips is also a Fellow at the Australian College of Nursing.
Shirley May Rixon
Shirley May Rixon has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to the Sapphire Coast community.
Ms Rixon was an avid member of the local community through her involvement in the Sapphire Coast Walkers group, promoting good heart health, and as the Secretary of the Merimbula Rock and Roll Club.
Her long list of community activities also includes her presidency of the Pambula District Hospital Auxiliary, and her work with a range of local sporting groups, including the AFL Tathra Sea Eagles Football Club.
The Berrambool resident was also recognised for her own sporting achievement, including taking out the Australasian Silver Medal as the Zen Dragon Boat Club Drummer at the Masters Dragon Racing Regatta in Adelaide in 2007.
Raymond John Pearson
Raymond John Pearson has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to veterans and their families.
The Basin Views resident has been involved in veterans leagues throughout the south coast, including the Nowra Legacy Group, the Huskisson RSL, and the Vietnam Veterans Association Jervis Bay Sub Branch, which he has been a member of since 2001.
Mr Pearson is currently president of the Legacy Club Wollongong and South Coast after taking over the top role in 2020.
Leonie Fleming
Leonie Fleming has been awarded the Order of Australia for her service to aged welfare and education.
The Ulladulla resident is currently serving as secretary of the Ladies Auxiliary at the RFBI Basin View Masonic Village.
Since 1977, Ms Fleming has worked as an educator, taking positions in nine different schools across the region up until the early 2000s, including her time as principal at the Bellambi Public School.
Jennifer Joy Lawther
Jennifer Joy Lawther has been awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for her work with the Callala Beach Brigade.
Ms Lawther joined the brigade in 1989, and served as Deputy Captain and Senior Deputy Captain before being appointed Captain in 1996.
She stayed in the top role for 17 years, only stepping aside when she was elected Deputy Group Captain in 2013, and then Group Captain in 2016.
Since joining the service, Ms Lawther has helped battle numerous catastrophes that have hit the country over the last two decades, including the Victoria Black Saturday fires in 2009 and the Back Summer bushfires.
In 2001, Ms Lawther was one of the inaugural members of the district logistics team, and in 2005 became a qualified member of the NSW Rural Fire Service Aviation Team, actively participating in many state wide deployments.
Mrs Lawther has also been a champion of gender equality, participating in working groups mentoring female leadership and examining ways in which women can undertake a range or roles within the service.
Carmel Mary Donnelly
Carmel Mary Donnelly has been awarded the Public Service Medal for her work in the area of regulatory reforms.
Ms Donnelly was an early advocate for mentally health workplaces, differently abled staff and First Nations people in the public service, and was known as a leader with integrity and a passion for improving outcomes.
Her courage, resilience and collaborative approach, combined with a steadfast commitment to public service have underpinned her impact as a public sector leader.
Throughout her career, Ms Donnelly made significant contributions to improve financial, economic, health and social outcomes for people in New South Wales, and helped form the modern State Insurance Regulatory Authority in her role as CEO.
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