Australia Day honours: Recognising the good in our community

Australian Honours and Awards recognise the outstanding service and contributions of Australians, profiling everyday citizens who inspire and challenge us to make our own contribution to creating a better Australia.

Announcing the list, His Excellency General David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) congratulated the 845 recipients and paid tribute to their achievements.

‘The individuals we celebrate today come from all parts of our great nation and have served the community in almost every way conceivable. They’re diverse and unique but there are some common characteristics, including selflessness, commitment and dedication.

‘Recipients have not put their hand up to be recognised. Most would consider the achievements that they are being recognised for to be “ordinary” or just what they do. The sum of these contributions speaks to our nation’s greatest strength – its people.’

This year’s list of recipients includes teachers, business leaders, medical professionals, and more. Listed below are some of the Victorian recipients of awards, some of whom have served on the boards of Catholic Social Services Victoria & Australia, Jesuit Social Services, or volunteered for the St Vincent de Paul Society and other local charities. Congratulations to all recipients and may they continue to inspire us in our shared work towards a more just and compassionate Australia.

Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

Ms Brenda Shanahan (South Yarra VIC 3141)

‘For distinguished service to medical health research, to the business and finance sectors, to corporate governance, and to philanthropy.’

Ms Brenda Shanahan has made significant contributions in the areas of health, medical research and tertiary education, as well as a long and distinguished career in finance and business. She is the Chair of the Board of Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, which seeks to bring together expertise in medicine, science and engineering for Swinburne and four other universities, as well as medical research institutes and industry partners at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. Ms Shanahan’s contributions in philanthropy and governance in the not-for-profit sector include her role as (former) Chair of St Vincent’s Health Melbourne and (current) Chair of St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research.

Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery

• Chair, current.
• Chair, Steering Committee, 2006-2019.

St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research

• Chair, 2004-2017.
• Former Deputy Chair.
• Director, 1996-2017.

SVI Foundation

• Board Member, since 2004.
• Founder, 2004.

St Vincent’s Health Australia

• Board Member, 2003-2006.

St Vincent’s Health Melbourne

• Chair, 2003-2006.
• Board Member, 1997-2006.

Representative, State Minister for Health’s Advisory Council of Board Chairs.

Representative, Health Innovation Council.

Swinburne University of Technology

• Foundation Member, Research Advisory Committee, until 2020.
• Recipient, Honorary Doctorate, 2017.

Kimberley Foundation Australia

• Treasurer, since 2011.
• Director, since 2007.

Brenda Shanahan Charitable Foundation

• Founder and Trustee, supporting organisations including St. Vincent’s Medical Research Institute, St. Vincent’s Health, Melbourne University, Kimberley Foundation Australia, the Australian String Quartet, The Melbourne Festival, State Library of Victoria.

Sisters of Charity Health Service

• National Board Director, 2003-2009.

Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

Mr Michael Raymond Buxton (Portsea VIC 3944)

‘For significant service to the visual arts, and to the property development sector.’

Philanthropy and the Arts

• Founder, Co-Chair and Supporter, Buxton Contemporary art museum, since 2018.
• Donated artworks which formed the Michael Buxton Collection, University of Melbourne, 2014.
• Co-Founder, Michael and Janet Buxton Foundation, 2002 (supports organisations across the arts, community and health sectors).
• Life Member, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
• Governor, NGV Foundation.
• Chairman and Founder, NGV Contemporary, since 2002.
• Board Member, Ian Potter Museum of Art Foundation, University of Melbourne, 2016-2019.
• Founder, Michael Buxton Collection, 1995.
• Patron, Melbourne Theatre Company, since 1997.
• Board Member, Gertrude Contemporary, 3 years.

Building and Construction

• Co-Founder and Executive Director, MAB Corporation, since 1995.
• Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director, Becton Property Group Ltd, 1976-1994.
• Member, JR Buxton Real Estate Firm, 1963-1980.

Other

• Chairman, Futurefish Foundation, 10 years.
• Director, Xavier College Foundation, 1989-2009.
• Chairman, Ignatius Education Fund, Xavier College, 2007-2009.
• Chairman, Halcyon Senior Citizens Village, since 2003, and Board Member, since 1989.

Professor Margarita Maria Frederico (Parkville VIC 3052)

‘For significant service to tertiary education, to social work, and to the not-for-profit sector.’

Margarita Frederico is a highly experienced social work practitioner, teacher and researcher. Her particular field of interest is child and family wellbeing, which has sen her led her to work in the areas of child protection and trauma issues, the welfare of indigenous children and families, leadership and governance in Human Services provision, and the evaluation of social welfare programs. In 1994 Margarita became a Visiting Professor at the University of Maine’s School of Social Work located in Maine, USA. Upon her return to Australia, she took the position of Inaugural Head of the School of Social Work at the Australian Catholic University. Over the years, Margarita has been actively involved in a number of community-based organisations in Melbourne including Melbourne City Mission, ARACY, United Nations Australia Association, Jesuit Social Services, Mackillop Family Services, Berry Street, and Odyssey House Victoria.

La Trobe University

• Head, School of Social Work and Social Policy, 1989-1993 and 2008-2013.
• Professor, since 2017 and Associate Professor, 2004-2017.
• Graduate Research Coordinator, Social Work and Social Policy, since 2016.
• Director, Field Education, 1978-1985.
• Director, Human Resource Centre, 1986-1988.

Australian Catholic University, Canberra

• Associate Professor and Inaugural Head, School of Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, 1995-1998.

Australian Association of Social Workers

• Chair, Accreditation Panels, current.
• Life Member, since 2012.
• Member, Accreditation Guidelines Review Committee, 2010-2012.
• Member, Working Group to develop guidelines for child protection and wellbeing curriculum in AASW accredited programs, 2009-2010.
• Chair, Lyra Taylor Fund Research Grant Committee, Victorian Branch, current.
• Member, Executive Committee, Victorian Branch, 2000-2004.
• Chair, Ethics Tribunal, Victorian Branch, 2001-2006.
• President, Victorian Branch, 1997-2000.
• Acting Director of the Board, 2001.
• Director of the Board, 1996-2000.
• Member, ACT Branch Ethics Committee, 1995-1997.
• Member, ACT Branch Council, 1995-1997.
• Member, since 1965.

Odyssey House Victoria

• Chair, Policy and Practice Committee, since 2017.
• Member, Board of Directors, Odyssey House Victoria, since 1994.

Jesuit Social Services

• Board Director, since 2012.
• Deputy Chair, Governance Committee.
• Member, Strategic Planning Committee.Community Service Organisations
• Life Member, Berry Street, current and Board Member, 1993-2004.
• Director, Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS) Victoria, since 2019 and Jesuit Social Services shareholder representative.
• Former Member, Policy and Practice Committee, MacKillop Family Services.
• Former Chair, Compeer Program, St Vincent De Paul Society.
• Former Board Member, Marymead, Canberra.
• Former Board Member, OzChild Victoria.

Ms Barbara Jane Hingston (Richmond VIC 3121)

‘For significant service to community health, and to people with disabilities.’

Barbara Jane Hingston has held a number of senior executive and corporate management roles in commonwealth government and in the NGO sector including as Executive Director for Mercy Health Care Australia Ltd, a national collaboration in health and aged care. From 2009-2016 she was a board member of Headspace and has served in governance roles, worked in mental health and other primary care services, health professional regulation, and child and family services in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT. She has also served on the board of Catholic Social Services Australia, Eastern Melbourne Medicare Local and Dental Health Services Victoria and Lady Gowrie Tasmania. Barbara is also an experienced social worker and has consults in individual and group counselling in sexual assault, family violence and other trauma.

Scope (Australia) Ltd (supporting people with disabilities)

• Board Member, since 2018
• Director Member, Disability Royal Commission, Disability Independent Advisory Committee, 2019.
• Chair, Risk and Audit Board, since 2020, and Member, since 2018.
• Member, Business Development Committee, since 2018.

National Health Organisations

• Board Member, Headspace, National Youth Mental Health Foundation, 2009-2016.
• Executive Director, Mercy Health Care Australia and Mercy Ministries Queensland, 1997-1999.

Austin Health

• Board Member, 2005-2013.
• Former Chair, Health Services’ Community Advisory Committee.

Health and Community Organisations in Tasmania

• Board Member, Tasmanian Health Service Governing Council, 2015-2018.
• Former Member, Tasmanian Minister’s Disability Advisory Council, 2013-2019.
• Board Member, General Practice Training Tasmania, 2014-2016.
• Board Member, Lady Gowrie Tasmania, (Statewide child education and care services), 2014-2017.

Health and Community Organisations in Victoria

• Member, Quality Improvement Committee, Breast Screen Victoria
• Board Member, Dental Health Services Victoria, 2013-2019.
• Board Member, McAuley Community Services for Women, 2013-2015.
• Board Member, Eastern Melbourne Medicare Local, 2012-2016.
• Board Member, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (Victoria), 2009-2011.
• Board Member, Physiotherapy Board of Australia (Victoria), 2009-2011.
• Direct Service Coordinator and Senior Clinician, Centre against Sexual Assault, Royal Women’s Hospital, 2008-2009.

Catholic Social Services Australia

• Board Member, 2012-2017.
• Former Chair, Mission and Governance Committee.

Governance

• Director, Public Trustee Tasmania, since 2016.
• Consultancy, Mentoring and Coaching
• Principal, Barbara Hingston Organisational Consultant Services, since 2010.
• Executive Mentor and Coach inc. McCarthy Mentoring and Jo Fisher Executive, since 2010.

Mrs Christine Tarascio (East Melbourne VIC 3002)

‘For significant service to medical research and charitable organisations.’

Mrs Christine Tarascio has been an active fundraiser for various causes, including the Lady Mayoress’ Charitable Fund, the Queen Elizabeth Centre, PMB (raising funds for prostate cancer research), and Pampering Patients. Mrs Tarascio is currently assisting her family company with the redevelopment of the former Mercy Hospital.

SVI Foundation, St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research

• Foundation Board Member, since 2004.
• Co-Deputy Chair, until 2018.
• Founder and Chair, SVI Discovery Fund, since 2006.

Other Charitable

• Chair of the Tarascio Family Foundation
• Member of Women@TheAlfred, current, formerly known as PMB.
• Former fundraiser for a range of organisations and causes, including The Queen Elizabeth Centre, The Lady Mayoress Committee and supporting Prostate Cancer Research.Business
• The Tarascio Family are owners of Salta Properties, one of Australia’s largest privately owned companies.

Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division

Dr Carmel Crock (Melbourne VIC 3163)

‘For service to emergency medicine, and to medical education.’

Dr Carmel Crock is the Director of the Emergency Department at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne. She is a fellow of the Melbourne Medical School Academy of Clinical Teachers, with a special interest in patient safety and medical error and lectures on physician and medical student wellness and its relationship to patient safety. Dr Crock is part of a long family tradition of helping people — one of her sisters is a doctor at the Royal Children’s Hospital; their late father was a distinguished spinal surgeon at St Vincent’s and his twin brother was appointed Australia’s first Professor of Ophthalmology when the University of Melbourne established the Department of Ophthalmology at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in 1963.

Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (RVEEH)

• Director, Emergency Department, since 2008.
• Emergency Department Consultant, 2006-2008.
• Chair, Clinical Practice Guideline Working Party, since 2012.
• Chair, Medical Emergency Committee, 2014-2015.

Cabrini Health

• Consultant Emergency Physician, Hospital in the Home, since 2012.

Epworth Hospital

• Staff Specialist, Emergency Department, 2005-2008.
• Senior Registrar, Emergency Department, 1998-2004.
• Cardiac Fellow, 2003.

St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne Medical School

• Lecturer, Medication Safety and Diagnostic Error, since 2015.
• Slit Lamp Tutorials, since 2015.
• Senior Lecturer, 2013.

Australasian College of Emergency Medicine

• Chair, Quality Sub-Committee, since 2011.
• Member, Standards Committee, since 2011.
• Member, Patient Safety Working Group, 2015-2016.
• Member, Choosing Wisely Working Group, 2015.
• Fellow, since 2005.

Committees and Memberships

• Editorial Board Member, Diagnosis, since 2015.
• Reviewer, Emergency Medicine Australasia Journal, since 2015.
• Fellow, Melbourne Medical School Academy of Clinical Teachers, 2014.

Dr Susan English-Donkers (Brighton East VIC 3187)

‘For service to the youth of Timor-Leste, to women, and to medicine.’

Children First Foundation

• Board Member, since 2017.
• Volunteer, since 2014.

The International Women’s Forum Australia

• Founding Member.
• Member, Victorian State Council, since 2016.
• Mentor, Women Athletes Business Network, since 2016.

Community

• Founder, Friends of Salesian Missions in East Timor, since 2002.
• Volunteer, CanTeen, since 2004.
• President and Ambassador, Days for Girls, Bayside Melbourne Chapter, 2014-2018.

General Practice

• General Practitioner, Brighton Family and Women’s Clinic, since 2020.
• General Practitioner, Bayside Medical Centre, 2006-2019.
• General Practitioner and Owner, Parktone Medical Centre, 1985-2006.

Sandringham and District Community Hospital

• Doctor, Family Medical Obstetric Clinic, 2006-2016.
• Visiting Medical Officer, 1985-2010.
• Board Member.

Mr Allan Robert Gray (Wallam VIC 2756)

‘For service to the community through social welfare organisations.’

Community - social welfare

• Volunteer, Fitzroy Soup Van Service, St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria, 11 years.
• Don Kyatt Group
• Head Engineer, 18 years.
• Presenter, Terrain Tamer 4WD, 11 years.
• Host, mechanical workshops for children.

Career

• Mechanic, 68 years.
  
  

Mrs Claire Adrienne O’Callaghan (Kew VIC 3101)

‘For service to the community through charitable organisations.’

Mrs O’Callaghan is the founder and chair of the St Vincent’s Institute Support Group. A St Vincent’s Hospital trainee, Mrs O’Callaghan returned to part-time nursing once her five children were in full-time education. She has chaired a number of fundraising and educational organisations including the original Noah’s Ark Toy Library for Handicapped Children and is an active supporter of her local school communities.

St Vincent’s Institute (SVI) of Medical Research, Melbourne

• Supporter, 30 years.

SVI Foundation

• Board Member, since 2004.

SVI Support Group

• Chair, current.
• Founder, 1989.
• Co-Organiser, annual fundraising dinner, since 1990.

Genazzano FCJ College

• Supporter, current.
• Chair, Centenary Committee, 1989.
• Chair, Genazzano Mothers’ Committee, 1981.
• Genazzano Alumnae Associate (formerly the Old Girls’ Association)
• President, 1968-1976.
• Member, 1966-1990s.

Other

• Supporter, Xavier College.

Ms Michelle Payne (VIC)

‘For service to the horse racing industry.’

Jockey - Group One Races

• Winner, Melbourne Cup, 2015.
• Winner, Tattersall’s Tiara, 2011.
• Winner, ATC Produce Stakes, 2010.
• Winner, The Thousand Guineas, 2010.
• Winner, Toorak Handicap, 2009.

Dual-Licence Trainer/Jockey

• Trainer, since 2016.
• Key Advocate, Regulation change to enable jockeys to hold both a trainer and jockey dual-licence.

Other

• Ambassador, Racing Victoria, since 2017.
• Patron, National Jockeys Trust, Australian Jockeys Association, since 2015.
• Ambassador, Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation, since 2012.
• Ambassador, Aim for the Stars, current.

Awards and recognition include:

• Longines Ladies Award, Longines Equestrian USA, 2017.
• ‘The Don’ Award for most inspirational Australian Athlete, The Sport Australia Hall of Fame, 2016
• Victorian Honour Roll of Women Inductee, 2016.
• Chairman’s Award, Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
• Co-Winner, Best Sports Person of the Year, Victorian Institute of Sport.
• Queen of Moomba, Melbourne Moomba Festival.
• Governor’s Award, Victorian Sports Person of the Year, 2015.
• Lady of Racing Award, Victorian Wakeful Club, 2011.
• Australian of the Year, The Australian Newspaper.

Mr Patrick Francis Tehan QC (East Malvern VIC 3145)

‘For service to the law, and to the legal profession.’

Victorian Bar

• Barrister, since 1977.
• Member, Victorian Bar Silks Selection Panel, 2011-2012.
• Chairman, Holmes List, 2009-2010 and 2000-2007.
• Appointed Queen’s Counsel, 1997.

Judicial College of Victoria

• Editor and Member, Editorial Panel, Victorian Sentencing Manual, since 2004.
• Honorary Fellow, 2014.

Community

• Principal Selection Panel. Whitefriars College, Donvale, 2011-2012.
• Board Member, Whitefriars College, Donvale, 2005-2013.
• Treasurer and Member, St Vincent de Paul Society, Chadstone, 1998-2005.
• Dean, International House, University of Melbourne, 1979-1981.

Awards and recognition

• Public Interest Law Clearing House Pro Bono Advocates Award, Victoria Law Foundation, 1998.

Ms Maria Luisa Valmorbida (South Yarra VIC 3141)

‘For service to the Italian community of Victoria.’

Italian Community

• Director, CO.AS.IT (Italian Assistance Association) Melbourne, current.
• Director, “Il Globo” Italian Newspaper, current
• Supporter, Italian Homes Assisi.
• Italian Academy of Cuisine, Melbourne Branch
• Delegata (President), since 2016.
• Former Vice-Delegata (Vice-President).

Community - Other

• Member, National Gallery of Victoria Foundation, since 2010.
• Patron, Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria, current.
• Member, Friends of the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation.
• Supporter, Melbourne Theatre Company.Business
• Director, Valcorp Fine Foods (importers of Italian food into Australia), current.

View the full 2021 Australia Day Honours List