Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate six residents from my electorate of Macarthur who have been honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. In many ways, we are all beneficiaries of the Australian honours system because formally recognising meritorious service to the community reminds us and reaffirms how compassionate and considerate we are as a nation and as a people.

The recipients of these awards are more often than not ordinary people who achieve extraordinary things that touch and improve the lives of others. They come from all walks of life but they have all made a significant contribution to the community and today I would like to pay tribute to these exceptional people from Macarthur. Steve Wisbey, Faye Rae and Rodney O'Donnell were awarded the Order of Australia Medals.

Steve Wisbey, or Wis as he is well known, is a highly respected local radio announcer and MC who has been involved in charitable work for more than 20 years. Steve is director of the Daystar Foundation and has made a significant contribution to several local charitable events including the DA Global CF Swim Macarthur. Steve is also particularly dedicated to a South African organisation that supports children whose lives are affected by AIDS and HIV.

Fay is also a widely known and loved member of the Camden community and also received an Order of Australia Medal for her lifelong and untiring service to numerous Camden service clubs and volunteer groups. From 1975 to 2000 Fay volunteered for the Camden Hospital Auxiliary. Fay is a foundation and life member of the Camden Lioness Club as well as being a member of Mother's Union and Pink Ladies, which helps provide meals for the elderly at Carrington Centennial Care. And in 2014 Fay was named Camden Citizen of the Year, an award she is very proud of.

Rodney O'Donnell from St Helens Park received the prestigious Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to the Campbelltown Rainbow Club and St. John Ambulance. Since 2001 Rodney has been the president, secretary and treasurer of the Campbelltown Rainbow Club, which is a non-profit organisation which offers swimming lessons for roughly 45 children with a disability at Eagle Vale Central Aquatic and Fitness Centre—fantastic work. Rodney has also been a St John Ambulance volunteer for the last 25 years and was heavily involved in establishing a program to teach primary school children first aid and awareness.

Professor Annemarie Hennessy and my good friend, the former federal member for Macarthur, Pat Farmer, were awarded the Member of the Order of Australia. Pat has long supported various charitable organisations by fundraising through his ultramarathon running. Pat was the first person to run from the North Pole to the South Pole, a distance of 20,919 kilometres, to raise awareness and money for the Red Cross, a charity he has been ambassador for many years.

Professor Hennessy, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at UWS at Campbelltown, was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to tertiary education and to medical research, particularly in the area of clinical hypertension and maternal health. As has been reported recently, Professor Hennessy's relationship with Campbelltown is set to get even stronger, with the university seeking to build a $16 million medical school next to Campbelltown Hospital.

Finally, Dr Peter Gould of Kearns was awarded a Public Service Medal for his outstanding public service to education, particularly mathematics. Dr Gould started teaching mathematics to high school students in Western Sydney 40 years ago and climbed the ranks to become chief education officer in mathematics at the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, with state responsibility for supporting the teaching of mathematics.

I would like to congratulate these remarkable people who have been named in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. They are a testament to the great virtue and compassion that is part of the fabric of our community and makes each and every one of us proud to call Macarthur home. They are truly wonderful people who are cherished by the Macarthur community.