Community champions lauded in Queen’s Birthday Honours List

COMMUNITY champions from across the Geelong region have been lauded in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

They are among 933 recipients this year, which includes 710 recipients of awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

Dr Jeanette Watson is the highest-honoured local recipient, with the Clifton Springs resident awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to marine science and ecology, and to professional associations.

Dr Watson was the founder of the Marine Science and Ecology consultancy in the 1970s, a foundation member of the Australian Marine Sciences Association and a councillor and convenor of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Several people were awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM):

• Newtown’s Professor Adrian Evans, for service to legal education, and to the law, especially at Monash University and the Springvale Legal Service
• Newtown’s Paula Kontelj, for service to the community of Geelong, including 24 years as an announcer on bay 93.9 and as an MC for many charitable events
• Barrabool’s Lynette George, for service to the engineering and manufacturing sectors, including as the director and co-owner of Auseng and a director of the Geelong Manufacturing Council
• Queenscliff’s Rosemary and Bill Brown, both for service to the community of Queenscliff, especially at the Queenscliffe Historical Museum, and
• Ocean Grove’s Neville Burrows, for service to the Uniting Church in Australia, and to the community, including as a long-time pastor at the Ocean Grove Uniting Church and founder of The Jigsaw Club in 1993.

In the meritorious category, Belmont’s Robin Parsons was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal.

“In this list we see all the positives that are in our community – we see the great ideas, we see the hard-work, we see the love and compassion for fellow human beings – it’s a microcosm of Australia,” Australian Governor-General David Hurley said.

“This list recognises a group of outstanding Australians who have made a contribution to their community, to Australia globally or domestically. Their efforts have been noted by their peers, they’ve been nominated and assessed independently as worthy of recognition.

“On behalf of all Australians, I congratulate them and thank them for their service contribution to our country.”

Anyone can nominate any Australian for an award in the Order of Australia. If you know someone worthy, nominate them now at gg.gov.au.