ALGA alumni recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours list

Former Australian Local Government Association Board member and City of Booroondara Mayor Coral Ross has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Also recognised in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours announced on Monday was Felicity-Ann Lewis, who was President and Vice-President of ALGA from 2010-14.

Ms Lewis was also state president of the Local Government Association of South Australia (2009-11), Mayor of the City of Marion Mayor (2000-14), and the 2014 Australian of the Year – South Australia.

She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
for service to local government, and to the community of Marion.

Ms Ross, who is now chair of the Australian Gender Equality
Council, was recognised “for significant service to local government, and to
gender equality”.

The pair was among 15 local government identities (serving
or retired) who were recognised.

Pam Robinson OAM, a former president of the Shire of Violet
Town (now the Shire of Strathbogie) and a Life Member of the Australian Local
Government Women’s Association (Victoria) was appointed a Member of the Order
of Australia (AM) for significant service to conservation and the environment,
and to the community.

Those local government identities awarded OAMs included;

• Kevin Beeck (former Shire of Albany president);
• Colin Cala (City of South Perth
  councillor/deputy mayor);
• Mark Byatt (Regional Development Victoria
  manager, former City of Wodonga councillor/mayor);
• Greg Bruce (City of Townsville general manager);
• the late David Edwards (Quilpie Shire Council
  mayor/councillor);
• Tony Irvine (executive officer of the Eyre
  Peninsula Local Government Association);
• Sam Johnson (CEO of the District Council of
  Mount Remarkable);
• Lesley McGurgan (City of Mordialloc, later City
  of Kingston, mayor/councillor); and
• John Gibson (Waratah-Wynyard Council manager).

Bega Valley Shire Council general manager Leanne Barnes OAM was
awarded a Public Service Medal for “her leadership of the Bega Valley community
as it responded to and recovered from 12 natural disasters since 2013, most
notably the 2019-2020 bushfires”.

Scott Loechel, operations manager, Local Government
Functional Support Group, with the Local Government Association of South
Australia, was awarded a PSM for “outstanding public service to local
government emergency coordination and assistance in South Australia”.