Queen's Birthday Honours

We have many exceptional people in Corangamite and I am very proud of the five members of our community who were awarded Queen’s Birthday Honours this year.

Congratulations to Rosemary and Bill Brown for services to the Queenscliff community. The couple has spent countless hours devoted to the Queenscliffe Visitor Information Centre, the Queenscliffe Historical Museum and the Surf Coast University of the Third Age. Rosemary is currently vice-president of the museum and has organized more than 60 exhibitions. Bill and Rosemary were surprised and delighted with their award and said they have met many wonderful people who have made it easy for them to do what they do. Their passion for helping has flowed to their children, with daughter Sarah receiving Australia Day honours this year for her services to Boronia Primary School. The Browns are great role models, not only for their own family, but the whole community.

Equally impressive and deserving is Lyn George, who was awarded for her services to engineering and manufacturing. Lyn and her husband Ross run boutique engineering firm Austeng in Geelong. Austeng was established in 1985 and has been involved in all kinds of engineering innovation. They are at the centre of the renaissance in advanced manufacturing in Geelong. As well as running the business, Lyn has found the time over the last decade to be a driving force in building manufacturing networks and ensuring there is real collaboration between manufacturers, researchers and educators.

Lyn is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Geelong Manufacturing Council – a network which shares best practice and gets unbelievably excited by invention and innovation. Lyn is also a key supporter of the Advanced Fibre Cluster and on the board of the wonderful Manufutures at Deakin University. It’s fantastic to see people like Lyn passionate about manufacturing, innovation, and creating jobs.

Dr. Jan Watson, of Clifton Springs, was awarded for her service to marine science and ecology. A trail blazer, Jan graduated with a chemistry degree in 1947 and taught herself to scuba dive in the 1960s. Through scuba diving she developed a life-long passion for studying marine life and biology. She obtained a PhD in Marine Biology, published more than 100 papers and discovered more than 100 species. At 93 years of age, Jan’s passion for marine biology hasn’t waned: she still has her own laboratory and continues to write academic papers.

Neville Burrows, of Ocean Grove, has been awarded for his service to the Uniting Church in Australia and to the community. Neville and his wife established the Jigsaw Group which provides older people with a sense of connection and engagement. Neville has also had great joy from mentoring young people and supporting them in developing leadership skills. At 93 years of age, Neville says the award is a great honour and he is humbled to be recognized for his lifetime of service to others.

Congratulations to these five outstanding residents of Corangamite who have served our community so well and have been recognised for their work.

This story was originally published in Libby's June Newsletter. Please click here to subscribe to the email newsletter.