AO (Officer of the Order of Australia)

by Sylviastel • Created 10 years ago • Modified 9 years ago

Cecil Abbott
Peter Abigail
Gordon Ada
Evan Adermann
Mike Ahern (Australian politician)
Susan Alberti
James Allsop
Brian Anderson (academic)
John Anderson (Australian politician)
Neil Andrew
John Anictomatis
Rabbi Raymond Apple
Don Argus
Robert Atkinson (police commissioner)
Sallyanne Atkinson
Dorothy Auchterlonie Green
John Avery (police commissioner)

John Bannon
Lance Barnard
Marjorie Barnard
John Barraclough
Paul Barratt
Admiral Tim Barrett
Peter Bartels
Neil Batt
Robin Batterham
Bob Baht
Roger Beale
Phyllis Benjamin
Annabelle Bennett
Isobelle Bennett
John Makepeace Bennett
Reg Bishop
Ruth Bishop
Tony Blunn
Geoffrey Bolton
Neville Bonner
Mark Bonser
John Langdon Bonython (1905-1992)
Warren Bonython
David Borthwick (public servant)
Ronald N. Bracewell
Lester Brain
Pat Brazil
Frank Brennan (priest)
Lynelle Briggs
Laurence Brodie-Hall
Dean Brown
Gavin Brown (academic)
Geoff Brown (RAAF Officer)
John Brown (Australian politician)
Joseph Brown (artist)
Ian Brusasco
Mal Bryce
Cleaver Bunton
Nancy Tyson Burbridge
Creighton Burns
Tom Burns (Australian politician)
General David Butler
Harry Butler
John Bryne (Judge)

John Cade
John Caldwell (demographer)
John Caligari
Frank Callaway
Paul Calvert
Ian Campbell (public servant)
General John Cantwell
David Cappo
Samuel Warren Carey
Jim Carlton
John Carter (enocrinologist)
Anthony Carwardine
John Cassidy (University chancellor)
Ian Castles
Donald Chalmers
Michael Chaney
Simon Chapman (academic)
Joan Child
Neville Chynoweth
David S. Clarke
Ron Clarke
Inga Clendinnen
Bob Clifford
Leigh Clifford
Owen Coaldrake
Terence Cole
Tony Cole
Bob Collins (politician)
Neil Comrie
Edward Connellan
Xavier Connor
Roger Corbett
Des Corcoran
Robert Cornall
Michael Costello (public servant)
Tim Costello
Philip Cox
Greg Crafter
David Crawford (businessman)
George Crennan
James Cruthers
Lisa Curry

Fred Daly (politician)
Elearnor Dark
Peter Darvall
John Dauth
Bruce Dawe
John Dawkins
Eric Cunningham Dax
Bob Day
John Robert De Laeter
Ivan Deveson
Robert Dickerson
Richard Divall
Joseph Dixon (Australian politician)
Rosemary Dobson
Ken Doolan
Dr. Robert M. Douglas (doctor)
John Dowd (politician)
John Ducker
Peter Dunn

Michael Egan (Australian politician)
Tony Eggleton
John Enfield
Dick Estens
Graham Evans (public servant)
Len Evans (wine)
General Mark Evans

Dr. Kevin Fagan (doctor)
Bill Farmer (public servant)
John Farrands
Alan Finkel
Bill Fisher
Les Fisher
Kathleen Fitzpatrick (Australian academic)
Rosemarty Follett
Tamie Fraser
Tony Fraser
Alex Freelagus
Harold Frith
John Funder

Gregory Garde
Margaret Gardner
Ross Garnaut
Ben Gascoigne
Marea Gazzard
Jennie George
Petro Georgiou
Dennis Gibson (academic)
Arthur Gietzelt
Ray Gietzelt
Gus Gilmore
Romaldo Giurgola
Kel Glare
Graham Glenn
Rosemary Goldie
Roger Goldsworthy (politician)
General Ian Gordon
Robert Gotterson
Steve Gower
John Grant (neurosurgeon)
Barry Gration
Gary Gray (Australian politician)
Paul Greenfield
Ron Grey
Don Grimes
Ray Groom
Stephen Gumley
Roger Gyles

Mukesh Haikerwal
Kay Hallahan
Ted Harris (company director)
Greg Hartung
Gwen Harwood
General Michael Hayden (honorary AO)
Donald Hazelwood
Alan Head
Basil Hennessy
John Herron (Australian politician)
Joanna Hewitt
Frank Hickling
Russell Higgins
Kerry Hill
Pat Hills
Fred Hilmer
Bruce Edward Hobbs
Bob Hogg
Caroline Hogg
Harry Holgate
Sandy Hollway
Don Hopgood
Brian Howe (politician)
Max Howell (educator)
Tom Hughes (Australian politician)
Khoo Boon Hui (honorary AO)
Frank Hulme-Moir
David Hunt (Judge)
Ralph Hunt (politician)
Noel Hush
Miriam Hyde

David Irvine (diplomat)

Daryl Jackson
Asher Joel
Richard Johnson (architect)
Eric Johnston (NT administrator)
Neil Johnston (public servant)
Charles Jones (Australian politician)
Clem Jones
Kenneth Norman Jones
Admiral Peter Jones
Admiral Trevor Jones

Bruce Kafer
Louis Kahan
Mick Keelty
General Mark Kelly
Ros Kelly
Aila Keto
Richard Kingsland
H.G. Kippax
Michael Knight (Australian politician)
Christpher Koch
Phil Koperberg
Paul Korner

Bill Lane (publisher/honorary AO)
Piers Lane
Bob Lansdown
Richard Larkins
Alec Lazenby
Judge Jack Lee
Michael L'Estrange
Anne Levy
Simon Lewis (Australian politician)
Tom Lewis (Australian politician)
Greg Lindsay
Jimmy Little

Bonita Mabo
Stuart MacIntyre
Malcolm Mackerras
Ian Macphee
Abdul Taib Mahmud (honorary AO)
Brian Ross Martin
David Martin (Governor)
Ken Matthews (public servant)
Dr. William McBride (doctor)
Ron McCallum
Gordon McClymont
Errol McCormack
Kenneth McCracken
Bruce Alexander McDonald
Tony McMichael
Neville McNamara
Tim McOwan
James McWha (honorary AO)
Nelson Meers
John Menadue
Tony Messner
Andrew Metcalfe
Jeffrey Miles
Thomas Millar
Geoff Miller (public servant)
Mick Miller (police officer)
Simon Molesworth
John Moore (Australian politician)
Mike Moore (New Zealand politician/Honorary AO)
David Morgan (businessman)
John Aloysius Morgan
Milton Morris
General Alan Morrison
Bill Morrison (Australian politician)
David Morrison
Irene Moss
Desmond Mueller
Michael Mullen (honorary AO)
Graeme Murphy
Kabun Muto (honorary AO)
Rupert Myers

Jacques Nasser
Marcia Neave
Jocelyn Newman
Kevin Newman (politician)
Stephen Newton (Principal)
Judge Robert Nicholson

Chris O'Brien (surgeon)
Tony O'Reilly (honorary AO)
Paul O'Sullivan
Rosemary Owens

Stephen John Parker
Alfred Parsons
I Made Mangku Pastika (honorary AO)
Julius Patching
Mark Paterson (public servant)
Lisa Paul
Tom Pauling
Sandy Pearson
Andrew Podger
Renfrey Potts
Ash Power
Joseph Prueher (honorary AO)
Lindsay Pryor

Helen Quinn (honorary AO)

Peter Rae
Paul Ramsay
Alf Rattigan
Keith Rayner
Elizabeth Anne Reid
Dennis Richardson (diplomat)
Douglas Riding
Chris Ritchie
John Roberts (Businessman)
Bishop Donald Robinson
Alan Rose (public servant)
Trevor Rowe
Michael Rozenes
Tony Rundle
Susan Ryan

Ronald Sackville
Kim Santow
Joe Saragossi
Nicholas Saunders (Vice Chancellor)
Gordon Scholes
Con Sciacca
Allan Scott (businessman)
Mark Scott (businessman)
Richard Scotton
Richard Searby
Steve Sedgwick (public servant)
Geoffrey Serle
Jim Service

Russ Shalders
Thomas Shapcott
A.G.L. Shaw
John Shaw (baritone)
Terry Sheahan
Geoff Shepherd
Ann Caroline Sherry
Ian Shevill
John Shine
Ken Short
Laurie Short
Wolfgang Sievers
Chris Silagy
Bob Simpson (Cricketer)
Steven Skala
David Smith (public servant)
Dick Smith (entrepreneur)
Grace Cossington Smith
Ric Smith
Dacre Smyth
Robert Somervaille
Gavin Souter
Jon Stanhope
Patricia Staunton
Frank Stephens (surgeon)
Neville Stevens
Christopher Steytler
Bruce William Stillman
John Stocker (scientist)
Alan Stretton
Shirley Strickland
James Strong (Australian businessman)
Mark Sullivan (public servant)
Paul Symon
Anthony Synnot

Ieremia Tabai (honorary AO)
Greg Taylor (public servant)
John Taylor (public servant)
Mark Taylor (cricketer)
Mike Taylor (public servant)
Rodney Taylor
Hugh Templeton (honorary AO)
Deane Terrell
David Theile
Davyd Thomas
Lindsay Thompson
Margaret Thorsborne
David Throsby
Michael Thwaites
Maurice Timbs
Norman Tindale
Ernest Toovey
Harry Triguboff
Matt Tripovich
Roy Turner (Australian politician)
John Turtle

Eric Underwood

Mark Vaile
Roger Vanderfield
Ian Viner
Derek Volker

Peter Walsh (Australian politician)
Sam Walsh (businessman)
Nick Warner
David Warren (inventor)
Doug Waterhouse
Ian Watt (public servant)
William Wentworth (Australian politician)
Christine Wheeler
Geoffrey Wickham
Robert F. Willard (honorary AO)
George Williams (lawyer)
Helen Williams (Australian public servant)
Leo Williams (rugby union)
Malcolm Williamson (honorary AO)
Admiral James Willis
Kenneth Wiltshire
John Winneke
James Roland Wood
Lionel Woodward
John Wylie (businessman)

George Yeo (honorary AO)
Dianne Yerbury

John Zillman
Jerzy Zubrzycki

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1. Jacki Weaver
Actress
Soundtrack
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Jacqueline Ruth Weaver is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. She is known internationally for her performances in Animal Kingdom (2010) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012), both of which earned her nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as Stork (1971), Alvin Purple (1973), and Petersen (1974). Weaver's other films include Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Magic in the Moonlight (2014), The Disaster Artist (2017), Bird Box (2018), and Poms (2019).

In 2019-20, Weaver had main roles in Bloom and Perpetual Grace, LTD, and in 2021 she had a recurring role in Season 4 of Yellowstone.

In 2005, she released her autobiography, Much Love, Jac.
2. Olivia Newton-John
Music Artist
Actress
Music Department
Grease (1978)
Olivia Newton-John was an English singer and actress who was in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK. In 1954, her family relocated to Australia when her father was offered a job as the dean of a Presbyterian college in Melbourne. After winning a singing talent contest, she returned to England with her mother, where she resided until 1975. Her many hit singles include, "You're The One That I Want" from the movie Grease (1978), which she starred in with John Travolta. She appeared on the TV series, It's Cliff Richard (1970), as well as in the film Toomorrow (1970). For several years, she was engaged to Bruce Welch, a founding member of The Shadows, which included Cliff Richard. Welch was one of the producers of her first international hit, "If Not For You".

Olivia took the advice of a friend, and left Britain to take up residence in America in 1975 to help further her singing career. English businessman, Lee Kramer, quickly became her manager.
3. Leo McKern
Actor
Director
Writer
Ladyhawke (1985)
Although he sounded very British, Leo McKern was an Australian. By the time he was 15 years old, he had endured an accident that left him without his left eye. A glass eye replaced it - one might conjecture for the better, as far as making McKern a one-day actor of singular focus (no pun intended; his face had that extremely focused look). He failed to complete Sydney Technical High School, though his interest in engineering prompted him to transfer into the role of engineering apprentice (1935 to 1937). He expanded his horizons in a different direction with a two-year stint (1937-1940) at a commercial art college. By then World War II was escalating toward Australia, and he volunteered for service with the Engineering Corp of the Australian Army (1940 to 1942). But yet one more career move was needed, and that while the war moved northward away from Australia when America joined the fight. He studied acting and debuted on stage in 1944. He also met an Australian stage actress (Jane Holland), and mutual attraction took its course. In 1946 she had acting opportunities in England, and McKern decided that, along with the wish to propose to her, his own future as an actor lay there also.

McKern was short and stout with a great bulbous nose upon an impish face--all the ingredients for great character. His voice was a sharp and vociferous grind upon the back teeth--also perfect for character. After some touring (which included a trip to post-war Germany), he began to appear with regularity on London's premiere stages, particularly the Old Vic (1949-52 and then again 1962-63). These roles meshed with classic English work when he moved on to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at Stratford-upon-Avon and the Shakespeare Memorial Theater (later reconstituted as the now Royal Shakespeare Theater) from 1952 to 1954. He also spent a season at the New Nottingham Playhouse. He had weaned himself off his Australian accent long before this with his bid for film roles, the first being as one of the four murderous barons in the Thomas a' Becket story Murder in the Cathedral (1951). And he kept his medieval tights on for his next screen appearances (though the small screen of TV) in some roles for the popular Richard Greene series The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1955, while he continued stage work.

From then on, McKern had roles in two to three movies a year--busy but not too busy--gradually mixing progressively more and more TV work in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The films were as varied as a good stage actor could justify moving into a popular medium. Though he was usually police officials, doctors, and authoritative figures, he always made these early parts stand out. Drama comes in various packages; he was not averse to the rise of sci-fi as a vehicle for it. He graced two British sci-fi classics: X the Unknown (1956) and the better The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). And there was also TV fantasy work, one of the best known examples being multiple outings as interrogator and chain-yanker Number Two in The Prisoner series. In the late '70s, he condescended to add some weight to two of the Omen movies, as did Gregory Peck and William Holden, putting him in good company. Great drama was McKern's meat. And doing some historically significant on a great scale was an opportunity for a Shakespearean not to miss. He was cast in the screen version of the Robert Bolt hit play A Man for All Seasons (1966). And his visage was perhaps part of the allure. Cast as ruthless political climber and fated chancellor of England Thomas Cromwell, McKern looked like the Hans Holbein court painting of the man who rather nefariously succeeded to Sir Thomas More's position. More was played by McKern's fellow RSC resident Paul Scofield. McKern gave flesh to the commoner Cromwell, making him loud and abrasive with a delightful verve. Later he and Scofield shared another film role, in the sense that the latter turned down the part of Thomas Ryan in the David Lean epic of Ireland Ryan's Daughter (1970), while McKern accepted it and made the role work. (Scofield would have been a miscast, something he probably wisely foresaw.)

McKern, from his early screen roles, could do comedy. He had a fair share of outrageous characters, and he could play them with a glint in his eye and a bit of extra cheek in his performance to show that he must have had fun in the role. In this regard, he showed his stuff supporting Peter Sellers in the endearing The Mouse That Roared (1959) and had the lead in the outlandish They All Died Laughing (1964) as a college professor who decides to snuff out humanity with poison laughing gas. He was a broad country fellow with a Shakespearean twist as Squint in The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965). In one of his later comedies, he is rather overlooked because of its clever script; in fact, it is an over-the-top tour de force for McKern. As the infamous nemesis Professor Moriarty in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975), McKern manages to steal the show from funny man and director/writer Gene Wilder along with Marty Feldman and Roy Kinnear. McKern's Moriarty is devilish but tongue-in-cheek with a vengeance, especially with his nervous tic of suddenly, at any time and out of nowhere, yelling, "YAAA, YAAA!"

Yet McKern's chief legacy has been and probably will continue to be his long-running TV role in more mystery (he had done his fair share in film and TV already) as Horace Rumpole in "Rumpole of the Bailey" (1978-1992), a role originally introduced by him in the teleplay "Rumpole of the Bailey" in 1975. The role had been specifically created for him by writer John Mortimer, and though every actor can appreciate the security of a long-running role, McKern feared that it was subsuming his more than considerable body of work. Along with that, McKern became increasingly self-conscious of his acting, and mixed in was the idea that his physical appearance was not appealing to the public. As a result, he had to deal with a progressively increasing stage fright. He need not have worried; he was working in diverse TV and movie roles nearly to the time of his passing, and he was beloved by movie and TV fans alike. Along with receiving the award of Officer of the Order of Australia from his home country, in 1983 McKern's memoir "Just Resting" was published.
4. Michael Blakemore
Actor
Director
Writer
Country Life (1994)
Michael Blakemore was born on 19 June 1928 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was an actor and director, known for Country Life (1994), Great Performances (1971) and Having a Wild Weekend (1965). He was married to Tanya McCallin and Shirley Bush. He died on 10 December 2023.
5. Robyn Nevin
Actress
Director
Soundtrack
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Robyn Nevin entered the National Institute Of Dramatic Art (training ground of Mel Gibson, among others) at age 16 in the very first intake in 1959. She went through what she called 'a little temperamental huff' with the theatre following graduation and took a job with the national broadcaster in Tasmania. She cut her teeth in a variety of roles in radio and television, including current affairs, music, chat shows and childrens' shows throughout the early 1960s. She found she disliked being a television 'personality' and gravitated back to theatre where she has been a constant presence for the last 40 years. Although theatre has been her home ground she has also been a reliable talent in Australian films and mini-series, landing many credits for strong supporting roles. She made one foray into directing in the little noticed The More Things Change... (1986). In the 1990s, after being in a number of productions that she found unsatisfactory from the actor's point of view she found she wanted more control over what she was doing. She expanded from being just an actor to directing and managing, ultimately becoming Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company. She is a doyenne of Australian theatre and has been awarded the Order Of Australia for her artistic contributions.
6. Alison Thompson
Director
Producer
High Times Potluck (2002)
Alison was born and raised a preacher's daughter in the Australian bush. She is a former Mathematics school teacher and medic. In 1990 Alison moved to New York City and became an Investment Banker on Wall Street, later enrolling at NYU film school studying film making. On Sept 11th, 2001 Alison roller bladed to Ground Zero and became a volunteer rescue worker and stayed on to volunteer for 9 months. She is the Founder and Director of CTEC which she created after the 2004 Asian disaster. CTEC is the first and only Tsunami Early-warning Center in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka she also ran a busy field hospital and helped rebuild a village for 3000 people. Since 2001 Alison has been a full time volunteer humanitarian and is fondly known in Sri Lanka as the 'Angel of Galle.' In 2008 Alison's documentary film called 'The Third Wave'premiered in the Cannes film festival hosted by Sean Penn and Bono. In January 2010, Alison flew to Haiti with actor Sean Penn and ten doctors to help with the earthquake aftermath. There the volunteers managed an 'Internally Displaced Peoples' camp and field hospital with over 65,000 people. Alison then founded 'We Advance' with Actress Maria Bello which deals with gender based violence in Haiti. Her new book is called 'The Third Wave- a volunteer story' published by Random House-available world wide. In 2010, Alison was awarded the Order of Australia, the highest civilian medal awarded by Queen Elizabeth the 2nd of England for her volunteer work and her contribution to mankind. She was also awarded the 'Medal of Excellence' by General Trombitas and the USA Army 82nd Airborne elite. In July of 2012 Alison was appointed the first Ambassador to the Haiti Ministry of the Environment where she is involved with a campaign to help combat reforestation and hunger through the planting of one billion trees for Haiti. She also continues to work at her We Advance clinic in the Cite Soliel slums. Her hobbies include Argentine tango, fencing, surfing, soccer, cricket, camping, volunteering, piano, chess, poetry, baseball, elephant polo and laughing. Her favorite TV show is "Survivorman."
7. John McCallum
Producer
Actor
Writer
Nickel Queen (1971)
John McCallum was born on 14 March 1918 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He was a producer and actor, known for Nickel Queen (1971), Bailey's Bird (1977) and A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (1949). He was married to Googie Withers. He died on 3 February 2010 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
8. David Williamson
Writer
Producer
Additional Crew
Gallipoli (1981)
David Williamson was born on 24 February 1942 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is a writer and producer, known for Gallipoli (1981), Face to Face (2011) and Travelling North (1987). He is married to Kristin Williamson.
9. Googie Withers
Actress
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)
Googie Withers began her acting career at the age of 12. She was dancing in the chorus in a West End revue when she was spotted by a Warner Brothers casting director. She went to do a screen test for them at the Riverside Studios and was invited to become an extra. On her first day at the filming of The Girl in the Crowd (1934) she arrived on the set just after Michael Powell had just sacked the second lead, and she was enlisted to play one of the lead roles.
honorary AO
10. Joan Carden
Soundtrack
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
Joan Carden was born on 9 October 1937 in Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She was previously married to William Noel Coyne.
11. Mel Gibson
Actor
Producer
Director
Braveheart (1995)
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born January 3, 1956 in Peekskill, New York, USA, as the sixth of eleven children of Hutton Gibson, a railroad brakeman, and Anne Patricia (Reilly) Gibson (who died in December of 1990). His mother was Irish, from County Longford, while his American-born father is of mostly Irish descent.

Mel and his family moved to Australia in the late 1960s, settling in New South Wales, where Mel's paternal grandmother, contralto opera singer Eva Mylott, was born. After high school, Mel studied at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, performing at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts alongside future film thespians Judy Davis and Geoffrey Rush.

After college, Mel had a few stints on stage and starred in a few TV shows. Eventually, he was chosen to star in the films Mad Max (1979) and Tim (1979), co-starring Piper Laurie. The small budgeted Mad Max made him known worldwide, while Tim garnered him an award for Best Actor from the Australian Film Institute (equivalent to the Oscar).

Later, he went on to star in Gallipoli (1981), which earned him a second award for Best Actor from the AFI. In 1980, he married Robyn Moore and had seven children. In 1984, Mel made his American debut in The Bounty (1984), which co-starred Anthony Hopkins.

Then in 1987, Mel starred in what would become his signature series, Lethal Weapon (1987), in which he played "Martin Riggs". In 1990, he took on the interesting starring role in Hamlet (1990), which garnered him some critical praise. He also made the more endearing Forever Young (1992) and the somewhat disturbing The Man Without a Face (1993). 1995 brought his most famous role as "Sir William Wallace" in Braveheart (1995), for which he won two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.

From there, he made such box office hits as The Patriot (2000), Ransom (1996), and Payback (1999). Today, Mel remains an international superstar mogul, continuously topping the Hollywood power lists as well as the Most Beautiful and Sexiest lists.
honorary AO
12. Barry Humphries
Actor
Writer
Producer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
His father was a well-to-do builder. Barry was a highly intelligent boy who attended Melbourne University. There, he began acting in revues and doing impersonations. He moved to London in 1959 and began his professional performing career on the West End and Broadway stages as Mr Sowerby in Oliver!, and in Peter Cook's Establishment nightclub. He has created numerous characters including Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson.
13. Slim Dusty
Actor
Soundtrack
The Slim Dusty Movie (1984)
Slim Dusty was born on 13 June 1927 in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia. He was an actor, known for The Slim Dusty Movie (1984), Wolf Creek 2 (2013) and Dirty Deeds (2002). He was married to Joy McKean. He died on 19 September 2003 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
14. Thomas Keneally
Writer
Actor
Schindler's List (1993)
Thomas Keneally, (born October 7, 1935, Sydney, Australia), Australian writer best known for his historical novels. Keneally's characters are gripped by their historical and personal past, and decent individuals are portrayed at odds with systems of authority.

At age 17 Keneally entered a Roman Catholic seminary, but he left before ordination; the experience influenced his early fiction, including The Place at Whitton (1964) and Three Cheers for the Paraclete (1968). His reputation as a historical novelist was established with Bring Larks and Heroes (1967), about Australia's early years as an English penal colony. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1972; film 1980) won Keneally international acclaim; it is based on the actual story of a half-caste Aboriginal who rebels against white racism by going on a murder spree. The Great Shame (1998), a work inspired by his own ancestry, details 80 years of Irish history from the perspective of Irish convicts sent to Australia in the 19th century.

Although Australia figures prominently in much of Keneally's work, his range is broad. His well-received Gossip from the Forest (1975) examines the World War I armistice through the eyes of a thoughtful, humane German negotiator. He is also praised for his treatment of the American Civil War in Confederates (1979). His later fiction includes A Family Madness (1985), To Asmara (1989), Flying Hero Class (1991), Woman of the Inner Sea (1992), Jacko (1993), Homebush Boy (1995), Bettany's Book (2000), The Tyrant's Novel (2003), The Widow and Her Hero (2007), and The Daughters of Mars (2012).

Keneally's best-known work, Schindler's Ark (1982; also published as Schindler's List; film 1993), tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved more than 1,300 Jews from the Nazis. Like many of Keneally's protagonists, Schindler is a rather ordinary man who acts in accord with his conscience despite the evil around him. The book won him the Man Booker Prize and he also worked with Steven Spielberg on the original drafts of the Schindler's List screenplay which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Adapated Screenplay. He was shortlisted on three further occasions for the Man Booker prize
15. John Farnham
Actor
Composer
Music Department
Fletch (1985)
John Farnham is regarded as Australia's top performing artist, with a career spanning three decades. Born in Essex, England, John immigrated to Australia in 1959 at the age of 10. Since his debut in 1967 he has had numerous successes as a solo performer. His solo album Whispering Jack (1986) continues to be Australia biggest selling album of all time by a local artist, with sales in excess of 1.4 million, and for which Farnham was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award by the Australian Record Industry Association. In addition to local success, Whispering Jack and the single You're the Voice were chart-topping hits throughout Europe, England and Canada. The multi-award winning singer was named Australian of the Year in 1988. In 1989, Farnham was invited to launch the Greenpeace's 'Rainbow Warriors' album in Moscow. In 1992, he recorded the role of Jesus for the Australian cast of Jesus Christ Superstar - The Album then toured with the stage production. In the same year, he was awarded the coveted Australian Music Awards' Crystal Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry, On Australia Day 1996, he was honoured with the Order of Australia for Services to Music and Charity. Farnham has undertaken numerous local and international tours throughout his career, including a national Australian tour with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra amongst his achievements. His Australian tours are renowned for breaking attendance records, specifically the Chain Reaction Tour in 1990 during which there were eight sell-out performances at Melbourne Park. His 1996 Jack of Hearts
Live in the Round Australian tour, a $5 million production, was
broadcast live on national television and simulcast on national radio concurrently. Since Whispering Jack, Farnham has released Age of Reason, Chain Reaction, Full House, Then Again and Romeo's Heart, all of which have an impressive list of credits with respect to awards and record sales. In late 1997, the Anthology series was released: Anthology 1 (3 times Platinum), Anthology 2 (Platinum) and Anthology 3 (Gold). In the same year, Farnham was recognised as the Most Broadcast Australian Recording Artist by the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia. In 1998, John toured Australia with Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow in 'The Main Event', accompanied by The John Farnham Band and a 40 piece orchestra, a phenomenal production which sold close to 300,000 tickets in a limited season. The album, "Highlights from The Main Event" reached Quad Platinum status within four weeks of release. The "I Can't Believe He's 50" tour followed in 1999, in celebration of John's 50th birthday.
16. Ita Buttrose
Actress
Producer
Executive
The Bold and the Beautiful (2017– )
One of Australia's leading media personalities, Ita Buttrose was the founding editor of Cleo magazine. She was also editor of The Australian Women's Weekly, Editor in Chief of the Sydney Daily Telegraph & Sydney Sunday Telegraph and the Sun-Herald in Sydney and editor and founder of ITA Magazine. She has also published A Passionate Life, Your Guide to Modern Etiquette, My First Forty Years and a short story Interlude in New York. Shortly a motivational book written by Ita will be published and she is now working on her first novel. As CEO of Capricorn Publishing 1988-94, Ita and her company designed and edited Tax Pack for the Australian Tax Department, theatre programs for shows like Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease and Aspects of Love and designed the special "secret" identity program for Telecom and its transition to Telstra. Now a director of Buttrose & Dominguez, Ita's company does specialist publishing such as DJ's, David Jones' magazine for account card holders. In 1995-6 Ita hosted a talkback and news/comment afternoon show on 2GB. She has also been a guest commentator on 3UZ with John Blackman and Wilbur Wilde, and hosted shows on 2KY and 2UE. Ita is a constant guest on television talk shows and current affairs shows and was a regular guest on the John Mangos Show. She is patron of Women of Vision, World Vision Australia, The University of the Third Age, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation of Australia, Amarant, the National Menopause Foundation, the Sydney Women's Festival, Safety House and National Institute of Secretaries and Administrators. Among Ita's current appointments are The Olympic Club, Director of The Smith Family, Chairwoman Australian Service Nurses National Memorial Fund Committee, Australia Beautiful Council, spokesperson, National Arthritis Foundation Director, Adelaide Arts Festival and Director Sydney Symphony Council. Ita received an OBE in 1979 and Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988. She was the first woman to receive the Harnett Medal for community service and achievements in publishing, journalism, radio and TV. She was named Variety Club's Personality of the Year in 1984, Australasian Academy of Broadcast, Arts and Sciences for most promising Newcomer to Radio, also in 1984, and in 1993, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Australian of the Year.
17. Gwen Plumb
Actress
The Young Doctors (1976–1983)
Born in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Stanmore and raised in the eastern beach suburb of Coogee, Gwen Plumb did not plan on taking up acting as a career. A chance invitation from a member of the David Jones tailoring department, where she was working at the time, led to her accepting a role in a local Drama Club's play. She had never acted before in her life, but it proved to be the start of what was to become an illustrious new career.

She is best known for her performance of a motherly gossip called Ada Simmonds, who operated the hospital kiosk in the Australian television series The Young Doctors (1976). As well as appearances in television and film, Plumb worked at Sydney's AM radio station 2GB, where she had her own interview programme, and also partnered a mid-morning radio variety show with Gordon Chater, where they were widely known to Sydneysiders by their nicknames: Pussy and Charlie.

She was also a stage performer, and starred in the Australian production of the Nell Dunn play Steaming (1985). In the late 1990s, within two months of an operation to remove a suspected bowel cancer, this veteran performer was back on her feet and rehearsing for a stage production of 'Arsenic and Old Lace'. Plumb received the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 1970s, and was made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) on the Queen's Birthday Honours List, at the age of 81.

Her autobiography, "Plumb Crazy", was published in 1994. She suffered a decline in health after her bowel cancer operation, and stated that she exhausted herself with the play and never recovered completely from the surgery. Gwen Plumb died in her home at Kirribilli (the first suburb north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge) on the 5th of June 2002, aged 89.
18. Peter Hollingworth
Landline (2002– )
Peter Hollingworth was born on 10 April 1935 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. He has been married to Kathleen Ann Turner since 6 February 1960. They have three children.
19. Phillip Adams
Producer
Writer
Actor
Jack and Jill: A Postscript (1970)
Phillip Adams was born in 1939 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is a producer and writer, known for Jack and Jill: A Postscript (1970), Don's Party (1976) and Lonely Hearts (1982).
20. Patsy Adam Smith
Additional Crew
Writer
Anzacs (1985– )
Patsy Adam Smith is known for Anzacs (1985), Australia (1987) and Destination Australia: The Migrant Experience Since 1788 (1984).
21. Stephanie Alexander
Landline (2009– )
22. Bob Cotton
Director
Animation Department
Zeiteye (2010)
Bob Cotton is known for Zeiteye (2010), Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1996) and Love Me Tender: A Tribute to the Music of Elvis Presley (1987).
23. Margaret Court
Australian Open (2024– )
Margaret Court is a retired Australian tennis player and former world No. 1. She amassed more major titles than any other player in history and is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

In 1970, Court became the first woman during the Open era (and the second woman in history after Maureen Connolly) to win the singles Grand Slam (all four major tournaments in the same calendar year). She won 24 of those titles (11 in the Open era), a record that still stands. She also won 19 women's doubles and 21 mixed doubles titles, giving her a record 64 major titles overall. Her all surfaces (hard, clay, grass and carpet) singles career-winning percentage of 91.74 is the best of all time. Her Open era singles career winning percentage of 91.37% (593-56) is unequaled, as is her Open era winning percentage of 91.7% (11-1) in Grand Slam finals. Her win-loss performance in all Grand Slam singles tournaments was 90.12% (210-23). She was 95.31% (61-3) at the Australian Open, 90.38% (47-5) at the French Open, 85.10% (51-9) at Wimbledon and 89.47% (51-6) at the US Open. She also shares the Open era record for most Grand Slam singles titles as a mother with Kim Clijsters. In 1973, Court set the record for most titles won in a single Grand Slam event, with 11 Australian Open wins. This record was surpassed by Rafael Nadal on June 9, 2019 when he won his 12th French Open title.

Court is one of only three players in history (all women) to have won the "Grand Slam Boxed Set", consisting of every Grand Slam title (the singles, doubles and mixed doubles). Court, however, is the only one in tennis history to complete a Multiple Grand Slam set, twice, in all three disciplines: singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Uniquely, she won all 12 as an amateur and then after a period of retirement, returned as a professional to win all 12 again. Court is one of only six tennis players to ever win a Multiple Grand Slam set in two disciplines, matching Roy Emerson, Martina Navratilova, Frank Sedgman, Doris Hart and Serena Williams.
24. Eva Cox
Q&A (2013– )
25. Peter Cox
Treasure Hunt (1988– )

AO (Officer of the Order of Australia)

1. Jacki Weaver

2. Olivia Newton-John

3. Leo McKern

4. Michael Blakemore

5. Robyn Nevin

6. Alison Thompson

7. John McCallum

8. David Williamson

9. Googie Withers

10. Joan Carden

11. Mel Gibson

12. Barry Humphries

13. Slim Dusty

14. Thomas Keneally

15. John Farnham

16. Ita Buttrose

17. Gwen Plumb

18. Peter Hollingworth

19. Phillip Adams

20. Patsy Adam Smith

21. Stephanie Alexander

22. Bob Cotton

23. Margaret Court

24. Eva Cox

25. Peter Cox

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