Australia Day honours list recipients describe what it means to be recognised
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Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, has been awarded with the nation's highest honour — a Companion of the Order of Australia.
A total of 958 people from various industries and communities have been recognised on the Australia Day honours list for 2017.
Some are well-known, while others are quiet achievers.
Here is what some of them had to say.
Politicians
Ms Gillard described the honour of being awarded an AC as "heartwarming".
"When I look back on my career in politics, the overwhelming emotion for me is one of gratitude to the Australian nation," Ms Gillard told the ABC.
"[A place] where you can literally jump off a boat as a four-year-old, as a migrant, and end up as Australia's prime minister — as the first woman to serve."
Women make up a third of the 2017 Australian Honours List, but the former prime minister said she would like to see equal recognition.
"If you believe, as I do, that merit is equally distributed between the sexes and you look at anything and you're not seeing basically half men and half women, then that's got to tell you that there are women of merit who are missing out."
Former Queensland premier Anna Bligh agreed with that sentiment when she spoke about also receiving an AC this Australia Day.
"I am very grateful to be recognised in this way but I do look forward to a time when we see more women on the list," Ms Bligh told the ABC.
"I hope that awards and recognition like this encourage other women to think about politics and to think about contributing to public life … it can often look pretty rough from the outside, but to have your hands on the levers and to really make decisions and make a difference, is an extraordinary feeling."
Sports people
It has been an incredible six months for Chloe Esposito — a gold medal in the Rio Olympics modern pentathlon event, ABC Sports Personality of the Year, and now an Order of Australia Medal.
Esposito is among 22 Australian Olympians who received Australia Day honours.
"I'm sort of seeing it as my invitation to start doing a lot more now for Australia … hopefully one day I'll be recognised, not as getting the OAM for winning a medal, but for other things I have done," she told the ABC.
At 15 years old, Paralympian Tiffany Thomas Kane is one of the youngest recipients on the honours list.
She won a gold medal and three bronze medals in Rio.
"It's crazy thinking I'm so young and I've already got all that — I was very excited about getting an OAM," Thomas Kane said.
Professional surfer Mick Fanning has been recognised as an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to surfing and charity work.
"Even though you think you're [doing charity work] to put a smile on a kids face or something like that, I actually take more out of it probably than what they [do], so it's really special to me," Fanning said.
Business people
When John Borghetti came to Australia from Italy as a seven-year-old, he could not speak English.
His first job was as a mail boy at Qantas, but he is now the CEO of Virgin Australia and has been recognised with an AO for services to aviation and tourism.
"I've been fortunate enough to grow up in this country — a country that gives you opportunities that most other countries don't give you," Mr Borghetti told the ABC.
"If you work hard and you focus and you can contribute to the country you should and [aviation and tourism] are both areas which I'm very proud to have been involved with."
Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest has also received an AO for services to mining, employment and philanthropy.
He wants to do his part to reduce modern slavery and Indigenous disadvantage in 2017.
"There are people who have been left behind and I think we must spare a thought for them and make sure that the Australia we grow into is an Australia without a disparity," Mr Forrest said.
"I would like to see employment and training and education drive the end of the Indigenous disparity."
Medical professionals
Nurse Elizabeth Bowell has been recognised for services to nursing, especially for the work she has done with remote Aboriginal communities and at international disasters.
"I'd been to Liberia a couple of times before Ebola, but Ebola stands out — it was just so big and so awful but one of the best missions I did," Ms Bowell told the ABC.
Ms Bowell said she feels "a little bit embarrassed" by receiving an OAM, but privileged to do the work she does.
Radiation oncologist Professor John Boyages has been honoured as an Officer of the Order of Australia for his work with breast cancer patients.
One of his achievements was setting up screening clinics in lingerie departments in Myer stores.
"In 1989 the mastectomy rate was like 70-80 per cent in this country, particularly in western Sydney," Professor Boyages said.
"Patients with tiny breast cancers were having mastectomies that were unnecessary and I remember taking surgeons on … to be there putting in the hard yards for a 70-80 per cent breast conservation rate instead was rewarding."
Entertainers
Nick Cave, Paul Kelly and Jimmy Barnes are some of the big names being recognised as Officers in the Order of Australia for their service to the music industry.
Barnes said he was very humbled to receive the AO.
"I'm am immigrant and I came to this country as a kid with nothing but dreams, so to not only be accepted by the community but to be successful is a really good feeling," Barnes told the ABC.
He said drug and alcohol problems, family abuse and having to adopt his first son out as a baby were difficult times.
"I've had more problems than a lot of people have had, but I've had great help and I've had great friends a great family and the Australian public has been very gentle with me, they have given me chances, they have given me opportunities to make right."
Community service
Former chief commissioner of the Victoria Police Ken Lay has been honoured for his long service to law enforcement, but he said his recent work with Rosie Batty to fight domestic violence had been a highlight.
"I saw in the data the number of women who were being killed and assaulted in their homes, and it was a personal thing, it didn't feel right," Mr Lay said.
"Rosie's influence was enormously important to me and whilst I get much of the credit, often it was Rosie in the background — I could hear her voice, I could hear the pain she felt and that kept me motivated."
Emeritus Professor MaryAnn Bin-Sallik has received an AO for her service to nursing and tertiary education.
She was the first Aboriginal woman to graduate from Harvard University with a doctorate.
"Once I became entrenched in the tertiary sector, I knew that the sky was the limit and only thing that would stop me was myself," Professor Bin-Sallik told the ABC.
"Because what tends to stop us in life is fear and by the time I got to Harvard I had no fear."
Topics: event, australia-day, community-and-society, human-interest, government-and-politics, australia
