Top national honours recognise Geelong leaders

A Highton-based engineer whose work has shaped Australia’s defence capability and advanced global robotics research has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2026 Australia Day Honours.

Distinguished Professor Saeid Nahavandi has been honoured for his distinguished service to tertiary education, engineering, robotics and haptics research and innovation, and defence capability development.

This work that has influenced policy, industry and military systems in Australia and internationally.

A globally recognised leader in defence technologies, Professor Nahavandi currently serves as associate deputy vice-chancellor of research and chief of defence innovation at Swinburne University of Technology.

Before joining Swinburne, he spent more than two decades at Deakin University, where he was pro vice-chancellor for defence technologies and the founding director of the Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation.

With an academic career spanning more than three decades, Professor Nahavandi has secured more than $150 million of government, industry and commercial funding. He has translated this into real-world applications of his research, including the establishment of three technology start-ups.

Professor Nahavandi has published more than 1,300 scientific papers, is a fellow of several leading engineering academies, and has advised organisations including the Australian Department of Defence, NATO and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

His career has been recognised with numerous major awards, including Engineer of the Year, Innovator of the Year, the Clunies Ross Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and multiple lifetime achievement honours across engineering, simulation and defence research.

 

 

Michael Betts

Another Geelong figure recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours is Michael Betts, who has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the Geelong community.

Betts has been honoured for his leadership of the Geelong Community Foundation, where he has served as chair since 2021.

Under his stewardship, the foundation has played a central role in directing philanthropic funding to grassroots organisations across the region.

His contributions to civic life span decades, including senior roles with Committee for Geelong, Northern Futures and the Geelong College Foundation, as well as long-standing involvement with community service organisations across health, education, sport and social services.

A further six members of the Geelong community have also been awarded Medals of the Order of Australia (OAMs) in this year’s Australia Day Honours.

 

 

Elizabeth Bate

Cancer After Care Group president and Lara District Community Bank deputy chair Elizabeth Bate has been honoured for her service to the community of Lara.

Bate has been a member of the Lara CFA since 1973 and was named a life member in 2010 and serves as a parish councillor at Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

The former Lara Primary School assistant principal is also a co-founding organiser of the Lara Food and Wine Festival and a founding member of the Lara Chamber of Commerce.

 

Leon Herviou

Belmont’s Leon Herviou has been recognised for his service to the community through charitable organisations, including the Meals on Wheels program.

Volunteering well into his 80s, Herviou helped deliver meals to Geelong’s seniors through the program for more than 20 years.

 

 

William Rebula

William Rebula, of Grovedale, has received his OAM for his service to the Geelong community.

Rebula has been a member of the Geelong Prostate Support Group since 2005 and has served as the secretary since 2013. His involvement in the group followed his own prostate cancer diagnosis at the age of 50 and the loss of his father to the disease in 1996.

Rebula is also a volunteer with the Nazareth Catholic Parish in Grovedale and has been a volunteer supervising driver with the City of Greater Geelong’s L2P learner driver program since 2022.

 

 

Nigel Wilson

Highton’s Nigel Wilson has also been recognised for his service to the community through a range of organisations.

These include the All Saints’ Anglican Parish of Newtown and Geelong West, where he has been a member since 1972; the All Saints’ Newtown Tennis Club, where he became a life member in 1993 and still serves as vice-president; and the Geelong branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, where he has been a committee member for 30 years.

 

 

Michael Nolan

Former priest Michael Nolan, who now lives in Brunswick, has also received an OAM for his service to the community through social welfare organisations.

Nolan was part of the team that opened Lazarus Community Centre in 2017. Nicknamed “Saint Michael” by the centre’s many volunteers and clients, Nolan is known for his warmth, grace, kindness and non-judgemental approach.

 

 

Roxie Bennett

Well-known Geelong personality and former radio host, Roxie Bennett, has been honoured for her service to Geelong, including her work as director of the Barwon Health Foundation.

Bennett serves as an ambassador for several local organisations, such as Lifeline Geelong (since 2021), Geelong Connected Communities (since 2023) and Geelong Animal Welfare Society (since 2018).