Tina Arena, Rod Laver among hundreds named on Australia Day honours list

Today, 813 Australians have been recognised on the Australia Day 2016 Honours List.

Australians recognised on the Australia Day honours list

Australians recognised on the Australia Day honours list Source: Supplied

Included in the list are 604 recipients of awards in the Order of Australia category for service across a broad range of fields including sport, music, science and community work.

A further 209 Australians are recognised through meritorious and military awards.

Australian tennis great Rod Laver is appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the sport.



Former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks and artist Tracey Moffatt are appointed Officers of the Order of Australia.

Meanwhile singer-songwriter Tina Arena and tennis player Lleyton Hewitt are appointed Members of the Order of Australia.



The backgrounds of those honoured are as varied as the industries they work in.

Here we have highlighted some of the less well known individuals honoured.

Professor Chennupati Jagadish

Appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to physics and engineering, particularly in the field of nanotechnology.

chennupati_jagadish.jpg


The Indian-born Distinguished Professor of Physics moved to Australia in 1990 with his wife and their then two-month-old daughter. He had accepted a two-year contract at the newly established at the Australian National University. Twenty-five years on, he is still there.

Sharyn Mackenzie

Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community through refugee support organisations.
Sharyn Mackenzie.
Sharyn Mackenzie. Source: Supplied
In 2003, Sharyn Mackenzie and her husband helped a newly arrived Sudanese family settle in the New South Wales seaside city of Wollongong.

Believing more people would help out given the opportunity, in 2005 they founded the charitable organisation to assist more refugees.

"[It is] a huge surprise to be recognised for work that I consider to be a great privilege," she said.

"It has been a great source of joy to my husband and myself."

"But you know, it is really something to be shared with the Wollongong host community, because we have gathered a wonderful team of people around us over these last 10 years and they have helped make my vision become a reality."

Dr George Skeene

Awarded the medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Indigenous community of North Queensland.
Australia Day
George Skeene. Source: Wet Tropics Images/Campbell Clarke
Yirrganydji elder Dr George Skeene grew up in Cairns in the 1950s during assimilation, when Aboriginal people were expected to give up their heritage and adopt the culture of white Australia.

He has been involved in the return of Aboriginal remains from Queensland Museum, and helped catalogue Aboriginal artefacts held in Germany.

The 67-year-old lectures at James Cook University on Aboriginal camps in Cairns, sharing his cultural knowledge with the community.

"I want to get the correct message across, because I came through the assimilation program here in Cairns and segregation," he said.

"Segregation was all around during the 1950s. And I wanted to get that message across so that part of Cairns Aboriginal history would not be forgotten."

Albert Vella

Awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to multicultural education.
Australia Day
Albert Vella. Source: Supplied
The son of Maltese migrants, Albert Vella did not have an opportunity to attend a language school growing up.

The Sydney father wanted things to be different for his sons. He helped found a Polish language school so his children could learn their mother's native language.

As President of the , he has made it his mission to increase opportunities for people to learn and use the language of their heritage.

"It helps promote the economic wellbeing of Australia into the future," he said.

"It will help build bridges between us and other countries in a globalised world. It will give these children a head-start linguistically to be great communicators. And it also helps build great community connections."

Diana Abdel-Rahman

Awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community through a range of multicultural organisations.

Diana Abdel-Rahman
Diana Abdel-Rahman, chairwoman of the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum and President of Australian Muslim Voice. Source: SBS News


Diana Abdel-Rahman is the chairwoman of the and President of Australian Muslim Voice, a radio station she runs from her home during Ramadan.

The daughter of Lebanese migrants, she says more needs to be done to foster harmony in our society.

"I think the ball has been dropped on multiculturalism and multicultural policy, " she said.

"I would like it to regain its position because as Australia continues to grow - and we will continue to have people come from overseas - we need to ensure that when people arrive here they find a place that they truly want to belong to. That Australia is open and fair."

Joseph Tawadros

Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to music.

Joseph Tawadros
Musician Joseph Tawadros. Source: SBS News


Three time ARIA winner  has established himself as one of the world's leading oud performers and composers.

The 32 year old was born in Egypt and migrated to Australia with his family at the age of two.

"I definitely would not have been the same musician that I am today if it was not for us coming here to Australia," he said.

"I would not have had the great access to all the great cultures which we have here and really be inspired by that."

Read the full list .


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5 min read
Published 26 January 2016 6:00am
Updated 26 January 2016 2:32pm
By Phillippa Carisbrooke


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