Australia Day Ambassadors

Alison Alexander OAM is a Brisbane-based food consultant, the inaugural Queensland Food Fellow and Food Ambassador for the Scenic Rim Regional area. She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Order of Australia Awards and in 2013, was awarded the Citibank Professional Excellence Award to honour her major contribution to the restaurant industry.

Alison is renowned for her food knowledge, her celebration of Queensland producers for more than 40 years and is held in high regard by local industry. Alison has been a guest presenter on ABC Radio for 25 years and has written for numerous publications. She regularly leads food tours within Queensland and interstate to encourage awareness of regional produce and appears as a guest chef, cookery teacher and speaker at events. She is often asked to judge food competitions and has been a Chief Judge for the Royal Queensland Show Preserves section.

Dr Sharon Boyce is an author, speaker, researcher, educator, disability advocate and a person with a disability.

Sharon is in the process of completing her PHD in the area on inclusion. She works hard to break down barriers by using experiential education to share lived experience and story, across many networks.

Elijah Buol OAM is the Director of Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, Non-Executive Director of Refugee Communities Association of Australia, Vice-President of the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland and the Queensland Lead for Migration Support Programs with Australian Red Cross. Elijah established and is part of several government and not-for-profit organisational boards and advisory committees.

Since arriving in Australia as an unaccompanied minor refugee from South Sudan in 2002, Elijah has worked tirelessly to advocate for the young and disadvantaged. He is a passionate advocate who believes in justice and empowerment for all Australians to realise their aspirations and potential.

Elijah was named among Logan City’s 40 powerful and influential people of 2021 by the Courier Mail and among Logan City’s 10 most powerful and influential people of 2019. He was the recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, 2020 Australian National University Student Volunteer of the Year (Postgraduate) and was the 2019 Queensland Local Hero of the Year.

Justine Christerson moved with her family from Biloela to Brisbane in 2012, and started up her program, Breaking down the barriers for rural patients in city hospitals, assisting thousands of patients, carers and families who are required to travel to Brisbane to access health care services not available locally.

Justine spends her days providing free services to many, including airport pick-ups and drop offs, cooking and delivering home cooked meals, toiletries and advice on the health care system, patient travel subsidy scheme, accommodation options or just general information about getting around Brisbane.

Justine was also a finalist in the 2016 Queensland Local Hero Australian of the Year Awards.

Distinguished Professor James Dale AO leads a research program at QUT involved in the genetic improvement of bananas, the world’s most important fruit crop. The most advanced project is to develop East African Highland bananas with high levels of pro-vitamin A to overcome the scourge of vitamin A deficiency in Uganda. East African Highland bananas are the staple food of Uganda and other countries in East Africa. Dubbed Superbananas, Time Magazine identified these bananas as one of the top 25 inventions of 2014.

The program has also produced Cavendish bananas with resistance to Panama Disease tropical race 4. This disease kills Cavendish and many other bananas and is moving as a slow pandemic from continent to continent, threatening the production of bananas worldwide including Australia. The resistant bananas are now being trialled in the Northern Territory and the best line has been selected for commercialisation.

James was the 2019 Queensland Senior Australian of the Year and was honoured as a Queensland Great in 2015.

Emeritus Professor Ken Donald AO has had a long career in medicine and medical education. As an academic he has published extensively in peer reviewed journals and textbooks. He has held numerous senior positions including Head of the School of Medicine at The University of Queensland, Director of Pathology Royal Brisbane Hospital, Deputy Director-General of Queensland Health, General Manager John Hunter Hospital, and Director of Medical Services Royal Darwin Hospital. Ken’s loyalty and commitment to the health of Queenslanders is unrivalled.

He was honoured as a Queensland Great in 2012 and awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for contributions to medicine, education and veterans’ health.

Dr Dimity Dornan AO has been a speech pathologist for more than five decade and has changed the lives of thousands of children and young adults. Dimity is also a social entrepreneur, researcher, Founder and Executive Director of Hear and Say, Founder and Chair of Bionics Queensland, Member of Senate of The University of Queensland, Fellow of Speech Pathology Australia, Fellow of Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and Fellow of the Queensland College of Arts and Sciences. Dimity has also been appointed as Adjunct Professor to The University of Queensland and Adjunct Associate Professor to the Science and Engineering Faculty, School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, and to Griffith University Health.

As Chair of the Bionics Queensland Board, she is working to promote the bionics industry to help bring new bionics solutions to market for the benefit of people with previously untreatable medical problems, including not only hearing loss but also visual, neurological, limb and organ conditions.

Dr Dimity Dornan was also awarded the Queensland Senior Australian of the Year in 2018.

For over 50 years, Peter Dornan AM has been a physiotherapist in the fields of sports medicine and manipulative therapy, working for many international sporting teams. For his achievements, he was awarded the commemorative 2000 Australian Sports Medal. Peter has also been freelance writing for many years and has written two books on sporting injuries, one on prostate cancer, four military books and two on pelvic pain.

He is also a passionate Men's Health activist. In 1997, Peter created a forum for men and their partners to gain support and be better informed about matters relating to prostate cancer. In 1998, he was influential in forming the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

He has also been a classical sculptor for over forty years and with works in many institutions. In 2002, Peter was appointed as a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia and in 2020, he was the Queensland Senior Australian of the Year.

Vanessa Fowler OAM established the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation after the murder of her sister in April 2012, turning her anger and sadness into something positive by starting a conversation around family and domestic violence. A school teacher and 2019 Ipswich Citizen of the Year, Vanessa is on a journey to educate and raise awareness of domestic and family violence.

In partnership with Griffith University, the Allison's Gift Bystander Program has been developed to share Allison's story and raise awareness of the signs of coercive control. Vanessa recently took on the role of Chair of the Board and Co-Chair of the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Council.

Olivia Hargroder ran a successful campaign to have athletes with Down Syndrome included in the Paralympics. She has taken her message across Australia, through the United Kingdom to Scotland and addressed the United Nations in New York. Tireless in her efforts, she genuinely has a message that she wants the world to hear, and the world is listening.

A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art’s, Young Actors Studio, she is forging ahead with her career as an actor and is determined to see more diversity in casting for film and TV. She has released a short film ‘See Me For Who I Am’ and is one of La Boite Theatre’s emerging artists.

In 2018, Olivia Hargroder was a Queensland nominee for Young Australian of the Year and named Moreton Bay’s Young Citizen of the Year.

Gitie House is the President of the Toowoomba International Multicultural Society Inc, Chair of the Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival, a member of the Premier’s Regional Community Forum for the Darling Downs and served on the inaugural Queensland Multicultural Advisory Council for three years.

In 2017, Gitie was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her services to the community. Gitie was named Multicultural Ambassador for Queensland in 2013 and received many awards including the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom Peacewoman, Young Women's Christian Association 125 Leading Women in Queensland and the United Nations Zonta Woman of the Year.

Gitie’s professional background is in project management in software engineering, and she has also co-authored books on understanding wild birds and their socially rich lives.

Selena Gomersall is a registered psychologist, and as a founder and former Chief Executive Officer, currently holds the position of Chief Advocacy Officer for Outback Futures. Outback Futures is a not-for-profit organisation committed to long term, whole of community change in mental health and wellbeing outcomes for remote Australia. She is dedicated to advocating for the needs and issues of the bush and to seeing children, families and rural communities empowered to better understand, value and advocate for their own mental health and wellbeing needs.

Selena is also part of a team combining entrepreneurial vision, rural interest and social objectives to develop Australia's first dedicated protein production hub, Brisbane Valley Protein.

In 2014, Natasha Johnston started Drought Angels Ltd, a service that delivers care packages and financial assistance to thousands of drought-stricken farming families across Australia. Originally expected to be a three to six month project to support farmers impacted by the drought, today Drought Angels has raised over $20 million to support over 5,000 primary producing families all over Australia impacted by natural disasters.

In 2021, Natasha was awarded the Queensland Local Hero and the Courier Mail’s Queenslander of the Year.

Gail Ker OAM is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Access Community Services Ltd and has more than 20 years' experience in the Australian multicultural, humanitarian and community sectors. Gail is currently a board member on the Migration Council Australia and Seqwater. She formerly served on several boards and advisory committees, including Settlement Services Advisory Council and Community Advisory Committee of SBS.

Renowned for her expertise in innovative service solutions for newly arrived migrants and humanitarian entrants, Gail is a recognised thought leader in needs-based community planning, innovative business models, social cohesion, strategic partnerships, employment pathways, funding opportunities and strategic direction. In 2010, Gail was awarded an Order of Australia Medal.

John Lazarou co-founded The Coffee Club in 1989 and turned a single café in Brisbane into Australia’s largest coffee shop group, with over 500 stores globally. John's vision, along with his PR and marketing skills has seen The Coffee Club branch out into more than 11 countries.

Over the past three decades, The Coffee Club has donated over $11 million to various charities such as The Children's Hospital Foundation Australia, and John has also been involved with many fund raisers such as the 2008 Great Walk to Beijing.

Professor Peter Leggat AM is Co-Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Vector-Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases at James Cook University in Townsville. His passion for more than 30 years has been combating some of the world’s most lethal and disabling tropical diseases. His other passion is for St John Ambulance Australia, where he has given several decades of volunteer community service, including assisting with major disaster events. In 2016, Professor Leggat was promoted to Commander of the Order of St John. He was also promoted to his current rank of Colonel in 2013 after spending 30 years as a doctor-soldier in the Australian Army and in 2019, he was appointed as Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General.

Professor Leggat is also an accomplished author and former Fulbright Scholar, and has published widely with more than 500 papers, 30 books and 100 chapters contributions.

Assistant Professor Nick Marshall was awarded the 2020 Australian of the Year Local Hero for Queensland in recognition of his work in creating the country's first ever inclusive surf lifesaving nipper program, the Albatross Nippers. A program that not only has spread across the state and country but has spread to other areas of the world. This program also led to Nick being awarded a 2020 Churchill Fellowship.

Nick is an Assistant Professor of Physiotherapy, the Sports Physiotherapist for Swimming Australia and the Australian Olympic Boxing team, and part of the medical team in the National Rugby League.

A medical practitioner specialising in child health, Dr Robert (Bob) McGregor has made an outstanding contribution to Queensland’s community. Bob has been devoted to his role as consultant paediatrician at both the Mater Children’s Private Brisbane Hospital and Ipswich Hospital. Many of his current patients are the children or even grandchildren of former patients. Bob was the long-time chair of a hospital fund which raised more than $126,000 for medical equipment and children’s amenities. He has been involved in community outreach programs to prevent child abuse and has presented many papers at medical conferences.  He is equally dedicated to his community, working in a number of voluntary roles for local schools and Lions clubs. 

Bob was named the 2014 Senior Australian of the Year and was the baton holder in the 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay.

Melissa McGuinness is one of the founders of YOU CHOOSE Youth Road Safety. Highly acclaimed by students, parents, police, educators and academics, YOU CHOOSE Youth Road Safety is the award recipient of the 10th Annual Australian Road Safety Award Recipients for School Programs. The program has recently surpassed 100,000 participants Australia-wide.

Melissa continues to pursue best-practice in teen behavioural engagement, youth leadership and insights into how the YOU CHOOSE social mission inspires young people to protect their families and their communities from the preventable misery of road trauma.

Melissa was a Queensland nominee for the Australian of the Year in 2021 and 2022. Melissa was also the 2020 Gold Coast Woman of the Year People’s Choice.

Alastair McLeod is a media personality with extensive experience in the kitchen. He’s best known for his roles on Channel 7’s Weekender and Network 10’s Ready Steady Cook, and frequently features on ABC and 4BC radio. Alastair also has a recipe column in the Brisbane News.

Alastair has worked at Michelin listed restaurants across the world. He established Tank Restaurant and Bar in Brisbane’s CBD, which was named in Australia’s hot 50 restaurants two years running, and started his own business Al’FreshCo that provides small and large scale catering to private and corporate clients.

He is the national MC for the Good Food and Wine Show and presents at many festivals and events around the country, including the Noosa Food and Wine Festival, Bundy Flavours, Regional Flavours and City Good Food Fair Month.

Alastair has been the food ambassador of the Lockyer Valley region and is responsible for hosting media functions, attending regular events and raising awareness for the region.

Following the abduction and murder of their son Daniel in 2003, Bruce and Denise Morcombe committed to making communities a safer place for children. The establishment of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation in 2005 highlighted their goal to educate young people about how to stay safe in physical and online environments and support young victims of crime in their often-harrowing journey to recovery.

While some people would have been destroyed by losing a child, Bruce and Denise have embraced the desire to ensure other children don’t suffer Daniel’s fate, that parents and carers are informed and that young people themselves know the signs and what do to do if they find themselves in potentially dangerous situations.

Bruce and Denise’s personal commitment to the safety of children was recognised when they were named joint Queensland Australian of the Year recipients in 2012 and by the Medal of the Order of Australia awarded to them in 2013. They are also Child Safety Ambassadors, and through the foundation have delivered important safety education to Queensland and the nation. They were named Queensland Greats in 2020.

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland and the second person to graduate medical school with quadriplegia in Australia. He is the co-founder of Doctors with Disabilities Australia, works in the emergency department at the Gold Coast University Hospital and is a senior advisor to the Disability Royal Commission. He is a lecturer at Griffith University, researcher at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland and doctor to the Gold Coast Titans disability rugby team.

Dinesh was awarded the Gold Coast Health's 2018 Junior Doctor of the Year, Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019 and the Queensland Australian of the Year in 2021. He was also the third Australian to be awarded a Henry Viscardi Achievement Award.

Lakeisha Patterson OAM, otherwise known as Lucky, has become Queensland’s very own golden girl. Lakeisha started swimming at the age of five as a form of hydrotherapy to help ease her muscle stiffness from Cerebral Palsy left Hemiplegia. After falling in love with the water and discovering para-swimming, her international debut began two years after starting competitions, at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games where she claimed bronze. Lakeisha also competed at the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships where she collected five medals, the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio where she claimed Australia’s first gold of the games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast where she collected two gold medals. In 2019, Lakeisha became a World Champion in the 400m Freestyle at the World Para-Swimming Championships in London, and she most recently won gold at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, taking out the 400m Freestyle S9.

An Ambassador for numerous organisations and charities and an Order of Australia Medal recipient, when she isn’t swimming, Lakeisha studies at university, volunteers within the community, speaks at numerous events, and raises education and awareness about inclusion, diversity and resilience.

Scott Stidston OAM has never allowed the motorcycle injury that left him a quadriplegic to limit his contribution to the community and campaigning for those with a disability.

Scott has been a stalwart of Spinal Life Australia for many years, determined to improve the quality of life of people with a disability by speaking of the benefits of inclusive communities in the North Queensland region. A tireless advocate, he has told his story to thousands of school children, sharing simple but effective injury prevention messages to help them stay safe. His advocacy has increased spinal injury awareness and seen significant improvements in infrastructure and services, including the installation of upper torso restraints on all Virgin Australia domestic flights.

Scott has lobbied for many years for an acute care spinal injury unit at Townsville Hospital, was a founding member of the Burdekin Disability Advisory Group and Focus on Inclusion Speakers Panel and has worked with councils and local businesses to improve access and transport for people with a disability.

Scott has been an individual recipient of the Queensland Government’s 2001 Disability Access Week Award for Excellence, 2010 Townsville City Council Creating Inclusive Communities Award, 2012 Fundraising Institute of Australia Volunteer of the Year Award and was a finalist in Queensland's 2014 Australian of the Year Local Hero Award.

Emeritus Professor Roland (Roly) Sussex OAM has a PhD in Russian and general linguistics from the University of London and was a Professor of Russian at the University of Melbourne from 1974 to 1989 and a Professor of Applied Language Studies at the University of Queensland from 1989 to 2010.

Roly has ongoing research projects in language, society and culture, intercultural communication, communication and pain, Australian English, and language communication in digital media and online learning. He has been broadcasting weekly in a segment with ABC radio since 1997.

Roly has written several books which include his most recent book published in 2021, Word for today.

Selina Tomasich is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hair Aid Inc, an Australian not for profit organisation that sends teams of hairdressers to poverty-stricken areas to work directly with people in need. The teams teach the skills required to increase their livelihood, allowing them to earn money to feed, clothe and house themselves and their children.

Selina is also a Learning Support Advisor, working directly with nursing students, ensuring best practice online learning as well as supporting and mentoring educators to deliver exceptional training needs.

Rachael Walsh graduated from The Australian Ballet School and joined Queensland Ballet in 1998. Rising quickly through the ranks, she was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2003. Acknowledged widely for her musicality and depth of artistry, Rachael was celebrated for her performances in story driven ballets.

Wishing to continue to contribute to Queensland Ballet and the performing arts, she transitioned into business development and philanthropy, managing Queensland Ballet’s corporate partnerships and later, Queensland Ballet’s philanthropic relationships. In January 2020, Rachael accepted the position of Head of Foundation (and Philanthropy) for Queensland Ballet and continues to work with the Company as a Principal Character Artist, guest stager and personally as an ambassador for Queensland’s performing arts landscape.

Professor David Whiteman AM is an epidemiologist and public health physician, with an international reputation for his research on cancer. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine.

He was awarded a Nuffield Fellowship to Oxford University in 1997, a Fulbright Scholarship in 2006, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019 for his services to cancer research.