Local Heroes and Community Leaders Take Centre Stage in 2023 Australia Day Awards

The flag raising ceremony at Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia, on Jan. 26, 2020. Rohan Thomson/Getty Images

This year’s Australia Day honours list includes a significant number of local heroes and community leaders who have been recognised for their contribution to Australian society alongside well-known entertainers, military figures and public officials.

Among the prominent figures featured in the annual honours is the late Indigenous singer, songwriter, and aboriginal rights activist Archie Roach, who was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia–the nation’s highest honour, for his work in the performing arts and efforts in Indigenous rights and reconciliation.

This year, the Companion of the Order of Australia award also went to the incumbent Western Australian governor Chris Dawson and former Queensland Labor senator Margaret Reynolds, who served in two ministerial roles under the Bob Hawke government.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-General John Frewen, who was the head of a national task force responsible for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021, was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia.

He was one of 77 people who were recognised for their services during the pandemic in the Australia Day 2023 Honours List.

People attend the Australia Day parade in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 26, 2020. Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

One of the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) awards was given to academic and historian Jenny Hocking, who is best known for her book The Palace Letters, which sheds light on the dismissal of the Whitlam government–a constitutional crisis–in 1975.

Two other AM awards went to filmmaker Phillip Noyce, who directed Rabbit-Proof Fence and Patriot Games, and actor David Wenham, who played the roles of Faramir in The Lord of the Rings and Friar Carl in Van Helsing.

TV chef Kylie Kwong and Terry Blamey, the former manager of pop star Kylie Minogue, also received the AM award.

Australia Day 2023 Honours List: Statistics and Facts

There were 736 honours in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 2023, including six appointments as Companions of the Order, 47 appointments as Officers of the Order, 177 appointments as Members of the Order, and 506 medals of the Order of Australia.

Around 48 percent of the award recipients were women, the highest percentage ever recorded since the system began in 1975.

Governor-General David Hurley congratulated the recipients and praised them for their contribution to the country.

Australian Governor-General David Hurley speaks at Government House in Sydney, Australia, on June 28, 2017. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

“The recipients have had a significant impact at the local, national and international level and are, quite simply, inspiring,” Hurley said.

“These are the people who see us through good times and bad. They’re the first to show up and the last to leave.”

The governor-general also said it was encouraging to see increased diversity in the Order of Australia.

The youngest recipient was 37 years old, while the eldest was 102.

Thirty people received awards in the Military Division of the Order of Australia. Another 217 were given Meritorious awards, and 64 were handed out Distinguished and Conspicuous awards.

Local leaders’ Heavy Presence

This year’s list also marks the significant presence of local leaders, as 45 percent of the general awards went to those recognised for their community services.

Among them were husband and wife Barbara and David Rugendyke, who work as foster carers and have taken care of over 400 children in three decades.

The couple from Cobargo on the south coast of New South Wales said they were happy to help vulnerable people.

“The happiness I get from the children is my motivation to continue with my work as a foster carer. I love the children,” Barbara Rugendyke said in comments obtained by AAP.

Meanwhile, David Rugendyke said he was proud to play a small part in raising the children.

“We are in contact with some of our foster children who have blossomed into beautiful adults,” he said.

AAP contributed to this article.