For service to the community of Tamworth

GIVING to the community has been a way of life for Lorraine Eckersley – and there’s no sign of the energetic Tamworth woman changing that at any time in the future.

An all-round good sport, she played hockey from 1973 to 2005 and when her children took up the sport, Mrs Eckersley didn’t just cheer from the sidelines. 

Throughout her own hockey career and her children’s, Mrs Eckersley took an active role as umpire, umpire convenor, judiciary member, representative team selector, convenor of NSW Junior Girls, secretary and secretary/treasurer of Tamworth Women’s Hockey, and fulfilled the secretary’s role in the Tamworth Hockey Association and Central West Hockey Region, and was U18 team manager from 1988-93.

She’s also the representative team manager of the Veterans, open U18 and U16.

With her husband Robert clocking up 40 years as a firie this year, Mrs Eckersley became a member in 1974 of the NSW Fire Brigades Firefighter Championships Association and took an executive position in 1998.

She’s been involved in hosting and overseeing trophies and presentations and sponsorship of the state and zone firefighters’ championships in the years since.

In 1999 Mrs Eckersley became a member of the St Nicholas Catholic Parish debutante ball committee and put her hand up for the secretarial role a year later, a position she has retained to this day.

Robert Charles Kirchner OAM.

For service to the arts, and to the community

WHEN Bob Kirchner joined the worldwide Toastmasters organisation in 1977 to gain more confidence in public speaking, there were just three clubs in the district.

Thirty-five years later there are more than 30 clubs – three in Tamworth alone.

Many of these clubs Mr Kirchner has been instrumental in forming and nurturing through his various roles as district governor of five separate areas, president of three district clubs and a charter member of six clubs.

“The great thing about the organisation, and why I stay in it, is it does so much to help people,” Mr Kirchner said. 

“There would be many thousands of people who have benefited from a short or long stint in Toastmasters over the years. It’s still a growing concern, with the need for it as much now as ever.”

His accolade was also brought about by his longstanding involvement in the media, in radio and in the country music industry through to his present role as editor and publisher of The Country Music Bulletin.

Seeing the consolidation of the Country Music Capital, from a great marketing idea to the brand it is today, and the wide-

ranging benefits for the district is another satisfying achievement in which Mr Kirchner has played a significant part.

Marianne Gaul OAM.

“I AM overwhelmed, but very humbled, to receive this award,” Tamworth’s Marianne Gaul said when contacted about her inclusion on this year’s honours list.

Mrs Gaul received an OAM for her service to nursing, particularly through the provision of improved emergency health services to rural communities.

She retired last month after a “fulfilling and rewarding” nursing career that spanned 42 years with NSW Health, 40 of which were with Hunter New England Health.

For the past 23 years she was a rural critical care clinical nurse consultant.

“I was passionate about ensuring that rural clinicians were educated and supported to provide the best possible emergency/critical care services to patients and their families in rural communities within NSW,” Mrs Gaul said.

One of the highlights of her career, she said, was developing an emergency department model of care for registered nurses to treat rural patients presenting to the emergency department with minor conditions or ailments, a model that’s now being prepared for a statewide rollout.

Other highlights include her appointment as a nurse commander for the NSW Health Medical Disaster Team for the Sydney Olympics and the NSW Health (Baxter) Award for Education and Training in 2005.

She’s quick though to credit her family and those around as big contributors to her latest honour.

“This award is testament to my incredibly dedicated colleagues and to the outstanding work provided by nurses in rural and remote hospitals who often work under difficult situations during medical emergencies because of their geographical and professional isolation,” she said.

FROM asthma awareness to chairwoman of the Smoky Dawson Memorial Committee, there’s not much Tamworth’s Mary Chapman hasn’t put her hand up for.

She said learning of her OAM was humbling considering she’d always got so much more out of her community work than she gave.

“I’ve spent my whole life doing things. If you do this kind of work you don’t think about awards, the satisfaction you get comes back two-fold,” Mrs Chapman said.

She has been honoured for service to the Tamworth community, including chairing the committee that raised funds for a statue of country legend Smoky Dawson, unveiled in 2012.

Smoky and wife Dot stayed with Mrs Chapman whenever they came to Tamworth and she considered them “like parents”, so it was a cause close to her heart.

She has also served as president of Tamworth University of the Third Age, Tamworth Women’s Probus Club and the Tamworth branch of the Asthma Foundation NSW.

It was this cause that led her to help develop asthma awareness programs in local schools known as the Triple A Asthma Program and Adolescent Asthma Action Program.

Mrs Chapman, who with late husband Ivan lived on a property at Bendemeer until retiring to Tamworth in 1981, also has the distinction of being the first woman appointed to the former Parry Shire Council in 1979.

It’s a role she described as “challenging” at a time when women in local government were just starting to make their mark.

“You had to be very diplomatic sometimes,” she laughed.

Bear Cottage, the Tamworth Pastoral and Agricultural Association, Australian Country Music Foundation Museum and the Tamworth Eisteddfod have all also benefitted from her efforts.

Henry William (Harry) Ellis OAM.

For service to the community of Tamworth

FORMER Tamworth architect Harry Ellis has been honoured for service to this community for his involvement across the board in a variety of areas.

Mr Ellis was a Parry Shire councillor from 2000 to 2004 until its amalgamation to form Tamworth Regional Council.

He was involved on various committees, ranging from Tidy Towns, the Central Northern Libraries committee and Regional Waste Management Group through to his involvement in tourism. 

Mr Ellis served as president of the Tamworth Adult Learning Group for three terms and was a 14-year member of Kootingal Lions Club. 

As Lions district chairman, he was heavily involved with Lions Youth of the Year Quest for five years and was instrumental in launching the highly successful Kootingal Pumpkin Festival.

A member of the West Tamworth Apex Club, he conducted debating and public speaking competitions for many years, a skill he learnt in Toastmasters, another string to his bow.

Mr Ellis was a former president of the Capital Country Music Association, a board member for many years and jamboree judge for 15 years.

As master of ceremonies, he saw a great deal of aspiring talent through the Tamworth Eisteddfod Society and judged the debating section on many occasions.

Mr Ellis is now based at Beachmere, Queensland, but continues his active involvement with various charities including Lifeline and St Vincent de Paul.

THIS year’s Queen’s Birthday honours list includes so many awardees who’ve given so much to not just one cause or organisation, but to many, over many, many years.

Tamworth’s Jean Jansen is one such honouree.

From 1974 to 1984 she was a leader with the Attunga Brownie unit, and the welfare of children has remained a passion, knitting clothing and blankets for children in hospitals in Tanzania and organising the collection of items on behalf of Mission Aid for young people in Rwanda.

She was an active member of the Attunga Anglical Church for more than 30 years, even serving as a parish representative for the Anglican Diocese of Armidale synod, and co-founding a weekly kids’ club.

As part of her church service she started to help organise the Anglican church annual Christmas tea for seniors.

Jean began the ritual in 1972 with other women from the Girl Guides’ Brownies group and it continued until 1985 before taking a break until its revival in 1998. 

Last year, Jean was still the guiding hand for the festive feast, helping with five other locals to put the spread together for 50 local seniors.

She began as a craft teacher at frail-aged hostel Manellae Lodge in 2002, has been a member of the Manilla Legacy Group for many years and a Meals on Wheels volunteer for 20 years.

Elizabeth Mary Ferris. 

Australian Fire Service Medal AFSM

THE latest Australian Fire Service Medal recipient believes she’s got just as much out of the Rural Fire Service as she’s given – and Elizabeth Ferris has given plenty in 23 years of service.

“It was a lovely surprise to receive an honour like this, but you don’t do it for that reason,” Mrs Ferris said. 

Mrs Ferris said while it was good to be able to give back to the community, she felt the RFS had given her much.

“They’re very good at training you and giving you all that exposure to leadership and communications stuff, which I can then use in my paid employment,” she said.

A wife and mother to two adult children, Mrs Ferris works at the University of New England as a senior business analyst and said she was fortunate to have an employer that supports emergency services and allows her time to complete RFS tasks.

“You can’t do it without a supportive family, either,” she said.

Mrs Ferris has been an outstanding role model for all young RFS members, particularly encouraging young women to become involved in the service in leadership roles and on the fire grounds. 

She has taught dry firefighting techniques in Botswana and represented the service at the International Wildlife Conference in South Africa.

Deidre May Rickards OAM

WITH the firm belief that good music has the power to change people’s lives, help them think more creatively and contribute beneficially to society, Armidale’s Deidre Rickards is committed to the cause.

“It is our duty as music educators to lead students into the great repertoire and when we’ve achieved this, it’s fun to share it with them. We become musicians together,” Ms Rickards said.

In a teaching career spanning 46 years, this dedicated music educator has changed countless lives for the better.

She’s previously been acknowledged with a Quality Teaching Award from the Australian College of Educators and a National Excellence in Teaching Award but this latest honour has left the educator humbled and overwhelmed.

As well as being a gifted teacher, Ms Rickards is also the author of Chamber Music In Your Classroom, a regional project involving performers, teachers and students.

She’s encouraged a love of music through the Armidale Eisteddfod, produced program resources for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Meet The Music initiative and has been the regional music advisor for the Education and Communities Department. 

Making a difference in people’s lives through music has always been a passion and seeing former students step into the music world as academics, professional orchestral players and even international stars, has been extremely satisfying.

Desmond Earl Schuman OAM

For service to the community of Glen Innes

IF THERE were more people around like Des Schuman, every community would be that much the richer for it.

A lifetime of service might seem like a chore to some, but for Mr Schuman, it’s part of his DNA.

Even in his early days in Armidale working at the post office, he found time to join the local progress association, planting trees and making improvements to his surroundings.

During his years in Deepwater, Mr Schuman helped found the Deepwater Apex Club, becoming the first life member of that organisation. He was also president and made a life member of the Deepwater Golf Club.

A committed Lion, Mr Schuman has achieved the distinction of a Melvin Jones Fellowship, he believes, for the work he and other Lions did starting off the recycling movement in Armidale, which is now in the hands of the council.

He’s served in numerous roles within the Armidale-Dumaresq Lions Club of which he’s also a life member – and he’s the chief barbecue cook at most community events around the city. 

Amazed and overwhelmed by his honour, Mr Schuman said it was the sense of pride, accomplishment and satisfaction of giving to your fellow man and your community that kept him going. 

“If everyone did their bit, we would all benefit in the long run,” he said.

A former Armidale high school captain and UNE honours graduate is a recipient of the Member of the Order of Australia today, one of the highest awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

A former top public servant, Bob McCarthy has been honoured for significant service to public administration in Queensland especially in economic development, agriculture and natural resource management.

Mr McCarthy is the son of the late Labor MP for Northern Tablelands Bill McCarthy and his wife Thelma AM.

Mr McCarthy lives in Brisbane with his wife Jacquie and daughter Emilie and has spent the past 30 years in senior positions in both the public and private sectors. 

He has held senior positions with the Australian Government where he was a trade negotiator for several years working on improved access for Australian agricultural and mineral commodities in the world market. 

He has been director general of several Queensland government departments including the Department of Natural Resources and Mines and the Department of State Development and Innovation. 

He has been at the forefront of efforts to diversify the Queensland economy and develop new industries, based on science and innovation.

He played a principal role in major changes in the Queensland Sugar Industry and in the Meat processing sector in Queensland.  In July 2009 he joined the University of Queensland as adjunct professor in the Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and is a senior advisor to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland.

He is also the Chair of Cape York Health and Hospital Service, a Director of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology , Chair of the Griffith University Aviation Advisory Board and a director of an Indigenous saw milling and cement block manufacturing business in Napranum.