Tim Hammond (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also pay tribute to the Australia Day Award recipients already mentioned by previous members of this place and acknowledge their tremendous and tireless work throughout communities all over the country. A bit closer to home, in my electorate in the federal seat of Perth, I am pleased to say there were six winners of Order of Australia honours: one member in the General Division of the Order of Australia and five medals of the Order of Australia in the General Division. I will briefly set them out.

Firstly, Christopher Pye of Mount Lawley was made a member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for his significant service to the tourism and hospitality industry in Western Australia and also to the community. Paul Clarke, also of Mount Lawley, received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to international humanitarian healing programs and also the optical profession. Jennifer Davis of Mount Hawthorn was acknowledged for her services to performing arts in Western Australia. Wayne Gardiner RFD of Inglewood was acknowledged for his service to military history and to veterans and their families. Vaughan Harding of Inglewood received a medal for services to aged-care organisations. And last, but certainly not least, Colin Philippson of Embleton was acknowledged for service to the community and also to motor racing.

Time sadly does not permit me to speak at length about all of these recipients, but I have written to them all to convey my congratulations to them personally. But the following examples are demonstrative of the sheer quantum of actual service rendered, which is belied by the too-brief citation. Take Mr Christopher Pye, for example. As well as running his own law firm—to keep his hand in, he says—he is the CEO of Hospitality Group, a hotel and motel company, and is a director in his family's chain of cinemas, Ace Cinemas. Members and friends from Perth and the metropolitan area will know that Ace Cinemas is one of Perth's most well-known independent cinema chains. Mr Pye has done much to support the children's charity Variety as well. He is deputy chair of the Tourism Council of WA and he chairs the regional tourism organisation, Australia's Golden Outback.

Ms Jennifer Davis was quite rightly given an award for services to performing arts, but this citation does not do justice to what she is achieving in the community through theatre. Her 30-year career working in the industry has focused on youth and seniors' theatre, bringing generations together to tell Western Australian stories. Her oral history programs gather stories from our senior citizens and memorialise them in theatre. She has used the arts to do reminiscence work with dementia sufferers and has been appointed WA's Ambassador for Positive Ageing.

Mr Colin Philippson has been acknowledged for services to motor racing, but he was also a Justice of the Peace for 38 years, spending literally thousands of hours helping the community through the justice system. He also served in the Royal Australian Navy for 20 years, including as a medic during the Vietnam War. But his award for services to motor racing is also fascinating, Mr Deputy Speaker Mitchell. I know it is a subject quite close to your heart.

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