Australia Day honours announced
Australia Defence Force personnel have been recognised for devotion to duty during natural disasters, strategic innovation and professional mastery in the Australia Day Honours and Awards for 2024.
FILE PHOTO (2022): Australian Army soldiers from the ADF Parachuting School’s Red Berets parachute display team drop into Sydney’s Australia Day festivities. Photo by Corporal Sagi Biderman.
The Australia Day honours list recognises 20 ADF personnel in the Order of Australia’s military division and 58 ADF personnel for distinguished and conspicuous service
Royal Australian Air Force Chief Air Marshal Robert Chipman’s leadership in developing rapid-support plans to identify the equipment Australia could gift to Ukraine helped him top the list and was made an officer in the Military Division of the Order of Australia.
OFFICER (AO) IN THE MILITARY DIVISION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA
Air Marshal Robert Timothy Chipman AM CSC
MEMBER (AM) IN THE MILITARY DIVISION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA
Navy: Rear Admiral Matthew Paul Buckley CSC RAN; Commodore Peter James Leavy CSM RAN
Army: Brigadier David Charles Hafner CSC; Major General Jason Kyle Walk
Air Force: Group Captain David John Clyde CSM; Group Captain Dennis Davison; Air Commodore Gretchen Elizabeth Fryar; Air Commodore Anthony John Hindmarsh CSC; Group Captain Hannah Louise Jude-Smith
MEDAL (OAM) IN THE MILITARY DIVISION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA
Navy: Commander Steven John Bliss RAN; Captain Jacqueline Margaret King RAN; Warrant Officer David John Passmore; Chief Petty Officer Steven David Paterson CSM; Commander Liza Jane Stephenson RAN
Army: Major David Graeme Brown CSM; Warrant Officer Class One Glen Andrew Donaldson; Warrant Officer Class Two Tommy Munyarryun
Air Force: Sergeant Justin Luke Kurban; Flight Sergeant Grant William Reibel,
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL (DSM)
Army: Lieutenant Colonel M
CONSPICUOUS SERVICE CROSS (CSC)
Navy: Petty Officer Gillian Louise Bryant; Commander Claire Elizabeth Jones RAN; Commander Nathan Wyllie Lockhart RAN; Commodore Gustaaf Henri Nord-Thomson RAN;
Army: Brigadier Mark Norman Armstrong; Lieutenant Colonel Alana Burkitt; Lieutenant Colonel Gwenda Margo Caspersonn; Colonel John Angus Dougall; Lieutenant Colonel David James Evans; Brigadier G; Colonel Michael James King; Brigadier Robert Barton Lording CSM; Colonel Rodney Waldemar Petersen; Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan David Pollard; Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Lytton Watson
Air Force: Warrant Officer Paul Ernest Argus; Wing Commander David Norman Bell; Wing Commander Brett Andrew Clarke; Group Captain Daniel Christopher Drinan; Wing Commander Andrew Michael Jackson OAM; Squadron Leader Malith Jayasinghe; Warrant Officer Martin James Miller; Air Commodore Scott Matthew Parry AM; Warrant Officer Melinda Jane Skinner
CONSPICUOUS SERVICE MEDAL (CSM)
Navy: Lieutenant Commander Simon Craig Abley RAN; Chief Petty Officer Dennis Andrew Anning; Warrant Officer Jessica Amy Buley; Lieutenant Commander Michael Copland RAN; Captain Roger Fonhof RAN; Lieutenant Commander Mark Gallagher RAN; Petty Officer Keigan James Gunther; Warrant Officer Steven Alexander Mcconnachie; Lieutenant Matthew Alex Parritt RAN; Commander Peter Dennis Shirley RAN; Warrant Officer Cheryl Valerie Young
Army: Captain Jackson Harris Cail; Warrant Officer Class One Damien Mark Cheung; Warrant Officer Class One Steven Owen Davies; Bombardier Adam James Davies-Moore; Warrant Officer Class One Nigel Roy Dobson; Warrant Officer Class Two David Robert Elliott; Captain Nicholas Paul Goldsworthy; Warrant Officer Class One Shawn Glenn Goodbody; Signaller Thomas Anthony Grayham; Warrant Officer Class One Megan Jennifer Griffiths; Colonel Alison Kim Kaine; Warrant Officer Class Two Benjamin James Kilgour; Major Benjamin Kreis; Major L; Lieutenant Colonel James Thomas Pidgeon; Lieutenant Colonel Meng Wang; Warrant Officer Class One Sean Heinz Weber; Major Sally Williamson
Air Force: Chaplain (Wing Commander) Lindsay Brian Carey; Wing Commander Denis Brian French; Corporal Matthew Palmer; Corporal Jack Clifford Simpson; Squadron Leader Melissa Jane Vreugdenburg
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with the risk of “sour grapes” I think these awards are more often than not issued to personnel just doing the job their supposed to do. Why would the Air Marshall get a gong for that?? Really.
I’m a bit over these awards now issued like jelly beans ‘for being a good boy’