• Exceptional Australians with ties to Charles Sturt University recognised on Australia Day Honours List
• The awards acknowledged their contributions to dentistry, agriculture, emergency services and humanity at large
• Recipients embody the Charles Sturt values of providing public service that is impactful, inspiring and insightful in an inclusive environment

Exceptional Australians with ties to Charles Sturt University were acknowledged on the Australia Day Honours List on Thursday 26 January as announced by the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd).

A total of 1,047 Australians received Honours and Awards, including awards in the Order of Australia (General and Military Divisions), meritorious awards and recognition for distinguished and conspicuous service.

Recipients were recognised for their outstanding service to the community or exceptional achievements for the public good.

Charles Sturt Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Evans congratulated the recipients for their exemplary efforts towards fellow Australians.

“The Australia Day awards represent one of the highest honours bestowed in this country,” Professor Evans said.  

“We congratulate each recipient for their hard work, dedication and selflessness in the contributions they have made in their professions and to the greater good.”

Charles Sturt Chancellor Dr Michele Allan received the Officer of the Order of Australia Award (AO) for distinguished service to the agricultural, food production and business sectors, and to tertiary education.

In a true display of the collaborative ethos that permeates her work, Dr Michele Allan AO considers that her greatest achievement is the success of the people with whom she works.

Over her long and distinguished career in food and agriculture, academia and research, and in business, Dr Allan’s contribution to the Australian community is significant.

“My motivation for all my work is to ensure that the teams and organisations that I work with benefit from what I do … with the ultimate benefit being for the country – whether it is system leadership in food, or direction and strategy for higher education, or leadership roles in agriculture,” she said.

Surprised and honoured by her nomination for an Order of Australia honour, Dr Allan was particularly grateful to those who “have expended energy and effort to form the application.”

Charles Sturt Adjunct Associate Professor in Dentistry Dr Ernest Yinson Chan was another recipient of the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) Award for his service to the community and to dentistry.

“I was pleasantly surprised and extremely honoured to receive the email advising me that I was being considered for the award,” Dr Chan said.

Inspired by local volunteers and senior colleagues, Dr Chan is grateful to all the people with whom he has worked at different stages of his life, including his wife Natalie, who managed their family while he was away.

“Being able to work with people from different walks of life has allowed me to service the communities with which I am associated, and I gained valuable experience that broadened my horizons,” he said.

Charles Sturt Adjunct Professor in Agriculture and Food and Honorary Fellow at CSIRO Dr John Angus received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to the agricultural sector through research roles and to education.

The Honourable Prudence Goward received an Honorary Charles Sturt Doctorate in 2008. Ms Goward was also a recipient of the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) Award on Australia Day for distinguished service to the people and Parliament of New South Wales, and to women's affairs.

“As members of the Charles Sturt family, we are very proud of the recipients’ achievements which embody our values of providing inclusive, impactful, insightful, and inspiring public service for the common good,” Professor Evans said.

ENDS