Celebrating ORDINARY people

The Mount Gambier Community RSL played host to a group of 47 ordinary people last Friday as the South East Regional Order of Australia Group convened for its annual lunch.

From Kingston and Mount Benson down to Port MacDonnell, recipients of Honours List awards meet up once a year at locations across the region and the 2023 event saw a record 47 people taking up the opportunity to catch up.

The Order of Australia Association South Australian branch regional groups coordinator Ken Coventry OAM JP was in attendance and said the regional groups were important for rural and regionally based recipients to feel included.

“We want to recognise the great award they have got and potentially through them we might find out about other individuals in the community that do wonderful things,” Mr Coventry said.

“As our chairman said when presenting the award, ‘there are ordinary people in this room today having done absolutely wonderful, extraordinary things’. Send details of

“They are wonderful people in here that make great contributions and there are many others out there in the community.”

Dr Jerry Leech AM was guest speaker at the 2023 lunch.

PHOTOS

1. Trudie Pulford & Pauline Kenny OAM (Mount Gambier)
2. John Andre AM with wife Doris Andre (Furner)
3. Sandra & Allen Woodham OAM (Mount Gambier)
4. Kingston’s Tony Hutchison AM with Robe’s Margie & Dave Thomas OAM
5. Gayle Cowan OAM; Dr Jerry Leech AM; Jan Pfeiffer (representing her husband Fred Pfeiffer OAM, who was unable to attend); Mary Leech & Bob Cowan OAM (Mount Gambier)
6. Valda & Brian Collins OAM (Port MacDonnell) with Robin Conboy OAM and wife Marie Conboy (Mount Gambier)
7. Doris & Michael Bleby OAM (Millicent)
8. Furner’s John Nitschinsk OAM with wife Carolyn Nitschinsk