David Shepherd, Madeline Townsend, David Thomas: Ballarat’s OAMs revealed

Three Ballarat residents have been recognised in this year’s Order of Australia awards, including the principal of the region’s biggest private school.

Clarendon College principal David Shepherd is an OAM recipient.

Three Ballarat residents have been recognised in this year’s Order of Australia awards, including the principal of the region’s biggest private school for his service to secondary education.

Medal of the Order recipient David Shepherd has been the principal of Clarendon College since 1997.

He began in pedagogy as a maths teacher at Wesley College in the early 80s, became the deputy head of that school’s Elsternwick campus, and then was the deputy principal at Scotch College in Adelaide.

Mr Shepherd said he got into teaching because he watched the joy his mother, also a teacher, got from positively influencing the lives of young people.

“In the end that’s really why I went into it, because I just enjoyed being around young people and I enjoyed hopefully making a bit of a difference in their lives and in the trajectory of their hopes to achieve their dreams,” he said.

“A lot has changed in terms of the environment that the kids grow up in, but what hasn’t changed is the kids were fantastic when I started teaching in 1981, they were fantastic when I was deputy over in Adelaide, and they’re beautiful here.

“There are greater challenges for young people that have been brought on by social media: obviously you’d be silly if you didn’t take notice of the data coming out about mental health and looking after young people and ensuring that they feel cared for and that they belong.

“That’s our highest priority – to look after our kids. If you can look after them and create an environment where they do feel they belong, then they can make great strides.”

Mr Shepherd said he felt “humbled and very honoured” by his award.

Also in Ballarat, Madeline Jane Townsend was awarded an OAM for her service to conservation and the environment.

Ms Townsend volunteered at Beyond Zero Emissions for two years, and is now a manager there.

In the early 90s, she was the Tasmania State Manager at the Conservation Volunteers Australia, and from 2009 to 2018 was the director of community programs for Australia and New Zealand at the same organisation.

She has volunteered for several years at the Ballarat Art Gallery and at the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.

Member of the Order recipient David Emlyn Thomas from Lake Wendouree was acknowledged for his work in the arts, particularly regarding museums and galleries.

He has been the director of several art galleries including in Bendigo, and worked as a fine arts consultant from 1996 to 2010.

Among other appointments, Mr Thomas was a founding member of the International Cultural Corporation of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation, and the Regional Galleries Association of NSW.

He has published several books about art.