The Shoalhaven’s latest Australian honours recipients have taken part in a special function in Nowra.
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The Shoalhaven Branch of the Order of Australia Association holds a get together each year, to not only recognise locals who have received Australian honours, but welcome the new recipients from the previous year.
In the last year the Shoalhaven, which boasts close to 100 local residents who have been awarded Australian honours, received a number of new recipients.
Berry’s Anita Chalmers was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to community health and in particular the debilitating autoimmune disease, Myositis, in the Australia Day honours, while in the military section of the awards Captain Peter Ashworth was awarded the OAM for meritorious service in the field of navy aviation and project management and former Shoalhaven Police Local Area commander, now Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar was awarded the Police Medal.
OAMs in the Queens Birthday honours were presented to Syd Weller for his service to rugby league and the community, Don Godden for service to community through history preservation and Andrew Winters for his contribution to surf lifesaving in Mollymook and Sydney, while Deborah Ely and Libby Davies were both awarded the AM for service to visual arts and service to the community through leadership and advisory roles with a range of social welfare organisations respectively.
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Unfortunately only two, Syd Weller and Don Godden were able to attend Wednesday’s function at the Nowra Golf Club as special guests.
Shoalhaven group co-ordinator Rod Gibb said the local organisation has held a function annually for a number of years as a way of getting all of the Australian honours recipients together.
“It is also a chance to recognise and congratulate the new award winners,” he said.
It was also noted the area had lost a number of award recipients in the past year including Lorna Angel, Len Bolden, John Christmas, Terry Hennessy, Bruce McIntosh, Bruce Spender and the late Drs Bill and Pat Ryan.
Former Chief of Navy, and proud Shoalhaven product, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett AM, was the guest speaker, talking about his 42-year military career.
VADM Barrett spoke fondly of his association with the Shoalhaven, having gone to school locally and being able to establish a permanent “home base” in the area.
“I’m very lucky and a bit unusual in navy life, being able to have a home base set up in the Shoalhaven and not really having to uproot my family and relocate them all over the country,” he said.
“We built a home here 30 years ago and that’s where we are retiring to. We are so lucky.
“I’m proud of my naval career and what I’ve been able to achieve.”
Honestly, my time as CN has been a hoot. We have achieved a lot. It has been a time of great change for the navy with a number of new aircraft, ships and submarines. It has been a major investment in navy.
- Former Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett AM
None more so than in the last four years as Chief of Navy.
“Honestly, my time as CN has been a hoot,” he said.
“We have achieved a lot. It has been a time of great change for the navy with a number of new aircraft, ships and submarines. It has been a major investment in navy.
“And those in navy have appreciated what has happened. We do not take it for granted. We know we are dealing with Australians’ funds. The money of the taxpayers. And we have a responsibility to manage that appropriately.
“It’s been great to be able to oversee the growth of the navy. I believe we are in a very good stead. As is HMAS Albatross with all its recent improvements.
“It has a very strong future. A great future ahead.”
HMAS Albatross has a very strong future.
- Former Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett AM
While proud of the honours he has received he said like all recipients in the room “he was humbled to be recognised”.
“You don’t look for this recognition, but these sort of gatherings are a chance for us to sit back and acknowledge what we have achieved,” he said.
“There are so many wonderful people out there doing incredible things.
“I was very lucky I had a career I loved and thoroughly enjoyed - everything else was a bonus.”
As well as his own investiture, in his role as CN, VADM Barrett attended a number of such events.
“It has been amazing to hear so many amazing Australians’ incredible stories,” he said.
“It is wonderful that our country can recognise and acknowledge the many superb people doing incredible things.”
VADM Barrett went on to answer a number of questions from guests including the future of navy, nuclear submarines, his time as a young RAN officer while on exchange in the UK at the time of the Falklands War in the 1980s and his future in what he described as “semi-retirement”.