Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia Day is a day to celebrate everything that's great about Australia. We celebrate our fortunate way of life, our values and our freedoms. There is no better way to recognise the people in our electorate of Dawson who hold these values every single day than the 2024 Australia Day Honours List. I rise today to congratulate the four individuals from our electorate who have been awarded these prestigious honours and to pay tribute to their commitment, dedication and service to our community and, indeed, our country. The recipients were Councillor Jan Clifford OAM, Mr Kenneth Martin OAM, Mr Colin Meng OAM and Warrant Officer Benjamin Kilgour CSM.

Councillor Janet Clifford was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her service to women in local government and to the community of the Whitsundays. My good friend Jan has dedicated 15 years of her life as a counsellor at Whitsunday Regional Council as well as being an active and passionate representative for multiple community organisations such as the Australian Local Government Women's Association, Rotary, the Mackay-Whitsunday branch of Regional Development Australia, PCYC, the Whitsunday Housing Company—and the list goes on.

Mr Kenneth Martin was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his service to community music. Now a life member, Mr Martin served as President of the Mackay Choral Society for 25 years and vice president for 16 years. During this time he was successful in securing grants to maintain their buildings and infrastructure, as well as taking to the stage many times, as he is a talented performer.

Mr Colin Meng was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his service to the community through a range of organisations. Col previously owned two businesses before becoming Mayor of the Mackay Regional Council. He has continued his community involvement while serving on multiple boards such as Mackay Hospital and Health Services and the Mackay Region Chamber of Commerce, just to name a couple.

Last, but certainly not least, Warrant Officer Benjamin Kilgour, a fine Australian soldier, was awarded his Conspicuous Service Medal for his achievement as the senior enlisted advisor and operations warrant officer deployed to the headquarters of the Middle East on Operation Accordion from July 2022 to January 2023.

The tireless dedication of each of these individuals should serve as inspiration to all of us. They should all be proud of what they've accomplished. Thank you for your service.