An extraordinary 23 people with connections to Flinders University – as staff, students, alumni, donors and honorary status holders – have been acknowledged for their contributions to society in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday honours.
Former Flinders staff member and academic status holder Professor Len Notaras AO has been made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to medical administration in the Northern Territory, and to professional organisations.
A Professorial Fellow with the College of Medicine and Public Health, Professor Notaras is an internationally recognised leader in health, especially in regards to trauma, and was previously appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2003. He managed the Royal Darwin Hospital’s response to a range of crises, from the unrest in East Timor and the attempted assassination of Jose Ramos Horta, to the Aceh tsunami and Bali bombings.
Former Flinders staff member and academic status holder Professor Nicola Spurrier PSM has been awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to community health in South Australia.
A strategic and innovative leader who has specialised in developing and implementing policies and programs across child health, obesity prevention and Aboriginal health, since August 2019 as South Australia’s Chief Public Health Officer Professor Spurrier has been pivotal to the state’s crisis management, firstly for the December 2019 bushfires and then the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Conspicuous Service Cross has been awarded to our graduate, Wing Commander Dr Collette Richards CSC for outstanding devotion to duty in aviation medicine capability development and delivery for the Royal Australian Air Force.
Dr Richards gained extensive operational experience in Iraq, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Timor Leste before being made a Wing Commander and Chief of Operations and Exercises in the Asia Pacific before Commanding the RAAF Institute of Aviation Medicine.
Nine former staff, academic status holders and graduates have been appointed Members of the Order of Australia. They are:
• Graduate, former staff member, academic status holder and donor Professor Philip Aylward AM for significant service to medicine, and to community health administration.
• Graduate and former staff member Professor James Barber AM DUniv ’13, for significant service to tertiary education administration, and to youth.
• Former staff member Dr Soren Blau AM for significant service to forensic medicine, and to scientific organisations.
• Former staff member Dr Peter Gilchrist AM for significant service to psychiatry, particularly to people with weight disorders.
• Graduate Wendy Johnson AM for significant service to secondary education in South Australia.
• Former staff member Professor Sabina Knight AM for significant service to rural and remote health, nursing and education.
• Former staff member Associate Professor Anthony Phillips AM for significant service to optometry, and to professional optical societies.
• Graduate Emeritus Professor Dr Barbara Santich AM for significant service to tertiary education, to gastronomy, food culture and history.
• Former staff member and academic status holder Professor James Toouli AM for significant service to tertiary medical education, notably to gastroenterology.
A further ten have been awarded Medals of the Order of Australia:
• Former staff member Professor Diane Bell OAM for service to literature.
• Graduate Dr Rosemary Brooks OAM for service to tertiary education.
• Current student Sam Johnson OAM for service to local government, and to the community.
• Graduate, former staff member, academic status holder and donor Dr Felicity-ann Lewis OAM for service to local government, and to the community of Marion.
• Graduate Dr Robert Llewellyn-Jones OAM for service to psychiatry, and to children with developmental disability.
• Graduate Adam Ka-Ho Lo OAM for service to mental health, and to the multicultural community of Queensland.
• Graduate Brenley Milsom OAM for service to the community of the Gold Coast.
• Graduate Julie Paul OAM for service to community health.
• Graduate Dindy Belinda Vaughan OAM for service to the arts.
• Former staff member and academic status holder Professor Alan Wolff OAM for service to medicine.
Flinders University offers its warmest congratulations to all its distinguished achievers who exemplify the University’s values of Excellence, Courage, Innovation and Integrity and who, through their actions, are making a difference to people’s lives and to the world.