Australian Honours in recognition of contributions to eye health

It takes an outstanding achievement and service to be recognised on the Australian Honours list.

Congratulations to the following members of the ophthalmic and broader community whose contributions to society and eye health are being formally celebrated today:

Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

Ms Katrina Roslyn Fanning PSM (Farrer ACT 2607) — for distinguished service to the Indigenous community through education and health initiatives, and to sport. This includes serving as the Director of The Fred Hollows Foundation since 2019.

Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia

Emeritus Professor Paul Gerard McMenamin (Mount Eliza VIC 3930) — for significant service to tertiary medical education. This includes being an internationally recognised expert in eye development, fulfilling numerous roles teaching clinical and surgical anatomy to postgraduate specialists in ophthalmology, and being an author of around 170 scientific publications that includes publishing a ground-breaking study of immune cells in the eye.

Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division

Mr George Alexander Booth (East Fremantle WA 6158) — for service to the community, and to tourism. This includes providing escorted tours for people who are blind or have low vision to a range of Pacific and South East Asian countries.

Mr Peter Reginald Dougherty (Grafton NSW 2460) — for service to the community of the Grafton region. This includes providing a talking service for the blind by being a volunteer reader for the Daily Examiner newspaper.

Mr Gregory Clive Nothling (Springwood QLD 4127) — for service to the community through a range of roles, including being awarded the Dr Bob Coulthard Humanitarian Award for the Lions Eye Health Program (LEHP) in 2011.

Mr Arthur George Watson (Old Guildford NSW 2161) — for service to the community through a range of organisations, including serving as a volunteer umpire since 1995 and an ambassador since 2018 for Blind Cricket New South Wales.

Mr Patrick Slattery (Newcastle NSW 2300) — for service to the community through a range of roles, including as a current supporter of the Royal Society for the Blind in Newcastle.

Mr William Horatio Smith (Tingalpa QLD 4173) — for service to the community through a range of organisations. This includes the Royal Blind Society of Queensland (now Vision Australia) as an Honorary Treasurer or Secretary (1970–2003), Life Member (1998), and Life Governor of Vision Australia (2008). Mr Smith also authored a publication on the 80-year history of the Royal Blind Society of Queensland from 1917–1997.

Thank you to each and every one of you for the impact and difference you have made and continue to make!