Australia Day Honours: WA obstetrics specialist Professor John Newnham named Senior Australian of Year

Mateship, having a go and fair play. They are the cultural idioms central to the Australian spirit. They make up who we are as a nation, and they are what holds us together when our fighting spirit is tested during times of incredible devastation, like the bushfires currently brutalising our golden country. It therefore comes as no surprise that the 1099 Aussies honoured in this year’s Australia Day honours list wholly embody these qualities, forming the backbone of a spirit deeply in our nation’s culture. Academics, philanthropists, scientists and business owners have lined up alongside celebrities, athletes, politicians and servicemen and women to honoured in the 2020 list. West Australian musical and stage performer Tim Minchin, former City of Perth chief commissioner — the late Eric Lumsden — and radio giant Gary Roberts are just three of the 76 West Australians recognised for their achievements. They join big names like country singer Keith Urban, cricketer Ian Healy, actors Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths, and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Johanna Griggs — the latter one of 348 women (41.2 per cent) who received awards in the General Division. Doctor James Muecke AM of Adelaide was named 2020 Australian of the Year for his work preventing blindness. Since starting his medical career in Kenya, the 56-year-old has turned his focus to type 2 diabetes — the leading cause of blindness in adults. Previously Dr Muecke co-founded Vision Myanmar, a $1 million program to develop and operate eye health and blindness initiatives in Myanmar, and Sight For All, a social impact organisation aiming to create a world where everyone can see. This year’s Senior Australian of the Year was awarded to Perth obstetrics specialist Professor John Newnham AM. Recognised as one of the world’s leading authorities in the prevention of pre-term birth — the single greatest cause of death and disability in children up to five years of age, Professor Newnham, 67, has been instrumental in making WA an international hotspot for research and clinical excellence in pregnancy and life before birth. In 1989 he founded and led the pioneering Raine Study, the world’s first and most enduring pregnancy-focused lifetime cohort project and later developed a program for preventing preterm birth — a pioneering initiative which resulted in an 8 per cent reduction in premature births across WA. Professor Newnham has been described by the world’s leading scientific journal as “an intellectual leader of modern obstetrics who has changed the practice of medicine and the lives of women and infants”. Michael Zekulich, who was a journalist at The West Australian for 41 years, has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to print journalism and as an author. WA residents Emeritus Professor John Bloomfield, Ronald Dullard and Peter Hood were three of 59 people to be appointed Officers of the Order of Australia (AO), while former WAFL player and Australian cricketer Keith Slater was among the 224 people appointed as Members of the Order of Australia (AM). Four members of the WA Police Force are awarded the Australian Police Medal, including Deputy Commissioner Colin Blanch and senior constable Michelle Jesney. WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said the group represented the “very best of officers upholding their duty to the community, making a positive impact that will be felt for generations to come”. Seven emergency services personnel from WA were also recognised, receiving the Australian Fire Services Medal, the Emergency Services Medal and the Ambulance Service Medal, while NAIDOC’s Male Elder of the Year Greg Little was among five Western Australian Corrective Services staff honoured with the prestigious Australian Corrections Medal. Anyone can nominate any Australian for an award in the Order of Australia. If you know someone worthy, nominate them now at www.gg.gov.au.