Rebel Aussie honourees march to their own drum

This year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours paid tribute to those Australians who’ve marched to the beat of their own drum.

The late Shane Warne has been awarded an Office of the Order of Australia(AO). Picture: Robert Prezioso/Getty Images

This was one for the rebels.

From a pioneering Antarctic scientist who refused to be frozen out by her male colleagues, to an accountant who threw $34m into cannabis research to save his granddaughter’s life; and from a 23-year-old ski champion to a 101-year-old playwright, this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours paid tribute to those who’ve marched to the beat of their own drum.

This was an honours list that lauded the larrikins, including two of the all-time greats of Australian cricket, one gone too young at 52, the other still passing on his knowledge at 76, both continuing to inspire a new generation of players.

Shane Warne has been awarded an AO (Officer of the Order of Australia) little more than three months after his untimely death in Thailand from a heart attack, while legendary attacking batsman Doug ­Walters – who still coaches at cricket camps all over the country – picks up an AM (Member of the Order of Australia).

And then there’s the determined Yvonne Weldon, a member of the NSW Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council for more than 30 years and the first Indigenous candidate for lord mayor in the 179-year history of the City of Sydney council last year.

The mother of three won a seat at Town Hall and is likely to give the top job another shot. She’s been made an AM for significant service to the Indigenous community.

Australian freestyle skier, and Olympic gold medalist Jakara Anthony has been honoured in the 2022 Queen's Birthday list. Picture: Tony Harrington

This years’ honours recognise 992 Australians for their life’s work and community service.

At 23, Jakara Anthony is not only the youngest person on the list but Australia’s only Winter Olympics gold medallist at Beijing. The girl from Barwon Heads ­battled crippling self-doubt and anxiety throughout her career to win the women’s mogul and her grit has now been recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

At the age of 101, and unquestionably the elder statesman of the list, Ray Lawler’s AO for service to the performing arts is arguably overdue – by nearly 70 years.

In 1953, the actor, playwright and director sat down to write a play that would change the face of Australian theatre. The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll was unlike anything that had gone before it, a play with a distinctively, albeit sometimes discomforting Australian voice.

The boy from Footscray, who left school at 13 to work in a factory, took the play to the West End after the rights were snapped up by Sir Laurence Olivier. It’s been performed around the world ever since.

Barry Lambert has been recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). Picture: James Croucher

Another out-of-the-box recipient picking up an AO this year is accountant turned multimillionaire turned international cannabis mogul Barry Lambert.

The one-time financial planner sold his business in 2011 for more than $370m and could have happily retired there, but instead donated $34m to the University of Sydney for research into medicinal cannabinoid.

Lambert was driven by love. His granddaughter Katelyn has Dravet syndrome, a genetic ­abnormality that causes seizures and almost always ends in death.

“Every time she had a seizure it was like electrocution, the brain gets fried,” he tells The Australian.

“Katelyn was the catalyst,” says Lambert of his decision to devote his life to a cure.

He is quick to point out he’s never smoked marijuana, but the connotations weren’t about to stop him.

“You’d do anything – the kid’s gone from having constant seizures to being seizure free, so I had no qualms getting involved.”

Lambert says that as soon as Katelyn took the cannabis oil she started to improve.

“Since she’s been on it, she hasn’t been hospitalised once, so her life has changed completely.”

Biologist and ecologist Patricia Selkirk was awarded the highest honour, an AC (Companion of the Order) for her work in the Antarctic.

The first woman to spend a summer at Australia’s Casey research station, Dr Selkirk arrived in 1982 to find “a few who thought it was the worst thing that could possibly happen”.

Dr Selkirk soon set the doubters straight, and is now honoured not just for her decades of field work but also for being a mentor and champion for women.

Among the other seven others awarded the highest honour were former deputy prime minister John Anderson, ex-Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford and philanthropist Gina Fairfax.

Three of the nation’s most important scientists were awarded the top honour. As well as Dr Selkirk, chief defence scientist Tanya Monro and astrophysicist Anne Green were honoured for eminent service to science.

Former chief medical officer, now secretary of the Health Department, Brendan Murphy, and former Queensland chief health officer, now Governor of Queensland, Jeannette Young, were made ACs in a separate Covid-19 Honour Roll recognising the work of those who led the health response to the pandemic.