Former Katherine Mayor recognised in Australia Day Honours

Former
Katherine Mayor Fay Miller was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
(AM) for significant service to local government, tourism, and the community of
Katherine on Australia Day.

She was one
of several elected and non-elected officials recognised in the Australia Day
Honours for their services to local government.

Ms Miller,
originally from South Australia, moved to Katherine in 1989 with her late first
husband.

She was
first elected to the Katherine Town Council as an Alderman at a by-election in
2002, and served as mayor from 2012 to 2020, retiring last November for health
reasons.

As well her extensive involvement in NT tourism over the years, Ms MIller was also a strong advocate for Katherine townspeople affected by groundwater contaminated by PFAS chemicals in firefighting foams employed at the Tindal RAAF base.

Ms Miller
also served as an executive member of the Local Government Association of the
Northern Territory and president and executive member of the Australian Local
Government Women’s Association.

From
2003-08, Ms Miller was the Member for Katherine in the Northern Territory
Legislation Assembly and was the Country Liberal Party deputy leader for a
time.

Others
awarded an AM for services to local government included Bernadette Black (a
councillor with Tasmania’s Kingborough Council from 2011-16) and John Jobling,
a Leichardt Municipal (now Inner West) councillor from 2012-16.

A former
mayor of Meander Valley Council in Tasmania, Greg Hall, was awarded an AM for
“for significant service to the people and Parliament of Tasmania, and to
agriculture and horticulture”.

Yvonne
Keane, who was Mayor of the Hills Shire in 2016-17, was awarded an AM for
“significant service to women and children, and to those who are deaf or hard
of hearing”.

Several
serving and former elected council officials awarded a Medal of the Order of
Australia (OAM) for service to local government and the community.

They
included Kym Callaghan (District Council of Elliston, SA), Pat Chigwidden (City
of Victor Harbor, SA), Frank Holohan (Dandenong City Council, Vic), John Kearns
(Lithgow City Council, NSW), Terry Larkins (Gisborne Shire Council, Vic),
Leslie Parsons (Inverell Shire Council, NSW), Bob Sloane (Barossa Valley
Council, SA) and Paul Talbot (Corowa Shire Council, now Federation Council,
NSW).

Three local
council officials were awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) for their
outstanding service.

Lew Bezzina
was recognised for outstanding public service to the Lithgow City Council,
particularly during the 2019-20 bushfires.

Cameron
MacLachlan was recognised for outstanding public service to the Glenn Innes
Severn Council and local government in NSW, particularly during the emergency
response to the 2019 bush fires.

Shannon
Gibbs was awarded a PSM for “outstanding public service to local government in
Queensland” through financial management roles with the Hope Vale Aboriginal
Shire Council.