Coasties recognised in Australia Day honours list

Seven Central Coast residents have been recognised in the 2025 Australia Day Honours List, announced by Governor-General Sam Mostyn on January 26.

More than 700 Australians were recognised with awards and honours in a variety of fields.

“To read recipient stories is to be reminded that contribution to communities across the country, underpinned by care, kindness, respect and love, is what matters most to all Australians, in every sphere of life,” Mostyn said.

“Recipients embody the best of us and we are grateful to all of them.

“This year we mark the 50th anniversary of Australia’s honours system.

“To all Australians, nominating and honouring our fellow Australians is a meaningful way of saying, as a nation, thank you.

“To all the remarkable 2025 Australia Day honours recipients today we celebrate you.”

Matthew Formston AM

Matthew Formston of Wamberal has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to people with disability and to para sports, and when it comes to listing his achievements it’s hard to know where to start.

He’s a world champion surfer, champion cyclist and Paralympian, he sits on several boards, he’s an executive, he teaches blind children how to surf, he is an ambassador for various organisations including Invictus Australia, he is a motivational speaker and an executive coach.

And he is legally blind.

He lost 95 per cent of his vision at the age of five from macular dystrophy, a fact which he says has led to his determination to push the boundaries in all areas of his life.

“It made me push hard for everything I’ve ever done,” he said.

“I have had to problem-solve my whole life.”

He is chair of the Macquarie Business Park Partnership, whose main beneficiary is United Way Australia, and head of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Optus Business.

In 2022 he broke a Guinness World Record when he surfed a 55ft (16.7m) wave in Portugal and in 2023 he won the Heavy Water Award at the Surfing Australia Awards, the first time a para surfer has been awarded an able-bodied award at that level.

Formston moved to the Central Coast in 2010 and lives at Wamberal with his wife, three children, two dogs and two guinea pigs.

While he acknowledges he’s achieved a lot in his life, the “stuff” he does with children is one of the things of which he is most proud.

Since 2018, Formston has been running clinics for blind and visually impaired children, teaching them to embrace the freedom of the ocean using sound, touch and other senses.

In 2023, he launched the award-winning children’s book Surfing in the Dark – a collaboration with Vision Australia.

The first book with text, illustrations and Braille, now graces the Premier’s reading list across all Australian states.

“I am really proud of what I have given back to the community,” Formston said.

He said he was also proud of helping charities navigate the COVID period, finding alternative revenue streams to help them stay afloat financially.

Formston said he was “chuffed” to have been awarded the AM.

“I am so proud,” he said.

“I am a very proud Australian, very patriotic.

“My grandfather protected this country when he fought in Papua New Guinea.

“I never thought something like this would happen in my life, that’s for sure.”

Julie Redfern AM

Professor Julie Redfern of Terrigal was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to cardiology, to allied health, to research and education and to the community.

A professor of public health, a physiotherapist and a surf lifesaver, Redfern says she was “shocked but very happy” about her latest achievement; just one in very long list that includes numerous leadership roles and positions on various boards.

She is Director of the Institute for Evidence-Based Health, Professor of Public Health, a Leadership Fellow with the National Health and Medical Research Council, Bond University, an Honorary Professor, University of Sydney; Physiotherapist and was named the 2022 NSW Woman of Excellence.

She has been a volunteer surf lifesaver with Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club since 2011 serving in several positions and was named Club Person of the Year in 2023 and Volunteer of the Year for Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club and Surf Life Saving Central Coast in 2022.

She sits on many committees and boards and has authored more than 250 scientific papers.

“I am very honoured,” she said.

“You never think you would be the person recognised in such a way.

“I do work very hard and give back to the community, doing what I’ve done and achieving what I have.

“Anyone can do anything with hard work and by being a good person.

“I am very proud that it’s been recognised in this way.”

The proud mother of one said the awards were about “ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things”.

Her roles with World Heart Federation include science committee member since 2023 and the Australian Chair of the emerging leaders program.

She is also a board member with the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Redfern has also been prolific in the field of research including cardiac rehabilitation and involved as chair or on steering committees of more than 16 cardiovascular health research projects since 2004.

She has been a Physiotherapy Council of NSW member since 2020, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences since 2023, a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology and peer reviewer with National Health and Medical Research Council, the National Heart Foundation of Australia and NSW Health.

Frank Davis OAM (posthumous)

The late Frank (Max) Davis of Kincumber has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to veterans and their families.

His strong involvement with Brisbane Water Legacy saw him hold many positions including chair of the board of directors from 2017 to 2019 and deputy chair from 2015 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2021.

He was also president between 2017 and 2019, and vice-president between 2015 and 2017 and 2019 to 2021.

He was a board director from 2007 to 2021, chair of the public relations committee in 2021 and editor of the Chatterbox magazine between 2008 and 2021.

A Legatee from 2007 to 2022 and veterans’ representative on the committee of the Brisbane Waters Private Hospital between 2018 and 2022, his wife Sharyn described him as being passionate about whatever he was involved in.

Davis – who was always known as Max – passed away in January 2023.

He and his wife moved to Kincumber 20 years ago and Davis was involved with Legacy for 14 years.

“He would be really chuffed about this,” Mrs Davis said.

“He was passionate about Legacy; our life revolved around Legacy.

“He was very energetic about everything he did.”

As ex-military, she said Davis was keen to give back to Legacy.

“He saw it as a way of giving back; most people involved with Legacy have an ex-military connection.”

She said her husband was ardent about whatever he was doing at the time.

The former national sales manager was quite the gentleman – he rarely left the house without a pocket handkerchief and always wore a jacket to dinner.

And while he held many leadership positions with Legacy, his wife said it was all the little things he did for the organisation that revealed his intense passion for it.

“When he first joined there were around 4,500 dependants on the Coast with Legacy and each month birthday cards would be sent to whoever had a birthday that month and he would sit down and write messages on the cards when it was his turn,” she said.

“He also delivered flowers to widows or dependants who were having significant birthdays.

“A Legatee always delivered the flowers rather than a florist and the president always delivered flowers to a widow turning 100.

“He attended lunches, barbecues, school competitions and of course badge days.

“He was always very energetic about whatever he did.”

Dr Karen Douglas-Make OAM

Karen Douglas-Make of Avoca Beach was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to medicine as a general practitioner and to the community.

With a distinguished career leading to being named General Practitioner of the Year, NSW and ACT, by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 2021, Douglas-Make said she was “surprised and humbled” by the award.

“I greatly appreciate being recognised with such an honour,” she said.

“I have lived, worked and played within the beautiful community of Avoca Beach and Terrigal since 1986 after doing my internship at Gosford Hospital.

“The community has been amazing in supporting me in offering primary care.”

Born and bred in Canberra, she studied at the University of NSW and moved to the Central Coast as a general practitioner at Terrigal and Avoca Beach medical centres in 1986.

“I joined as a 28-year-old woman on what was then an all-male team,” she said.

She quickly became a partner and has been practice owner since 1990.

“I work with a great team and have support from colleagues in the medical profession across the Central Coast and further afield,” she said.

Douglas-Make was also Women’s Health Co-ordinator for the Central Coast Division of General Practice for more than 20 years and is a GP Registrar Supervisor and former Clinical Director for Central Coast Cervical Screening Clinic.

For Primary Health Network Hunter New England and Central Coast, she has been founding member and chair of the Central Coast Clinical Council since 2015 and is a currently a member of the GP Advisory Panel.

She also serves on Central Coast Local Health District’s GP Collaboration Panel and Clinical Council and is a life member of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, for which she has held various positions.

She was CEO of Australian General Practice Accreditation Ltd from 1997-98 and a Senior GP Surveyor from 1999-2009.

“I have always recognised the importance of setting high standards and the need to provide a safe environment for good care,” she said.

“I was involved in obstetrics early in my career and watching those babies now become parents themselves has been amazing.”

Always interested in fitness, she has been an active patrol member and filled several positions with Avoca Beach Surf Life Saving Club since 1986.

Alan Gilmour OAM

Alan Gilmour of Tumbi Umbi was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the arts, particularly through music.

After retiring following a career in the finance sector, Gilmour decided to return to his long-held love of music and has forged a second career as a broadcaster and advocate for emerging musicians.

“I have always loved music and have volunteered for various not-for-profits in the music sector, particularly after retirement, and moved on to presenting on radio,” he said.

He has been a director since 2006 of the Australian Songwriters Association, which supports songwriters, has been vice-chair since 2010 and is currently treasurer.

He has been a member since 1996 and is a former editor of The Australian Songwriter newsletter.

A presenter and life member with Central Coast community broadcaster TodaysCountry94one 94.1 FM, he has been a Director of the organisation since 2015 and is a former secretary.

He is the creator/producer of the Australian Country Songwriters Show (since 2015) and Indigenous Country (since 2020).

He is also co-creator and co-producer of Binawah since 2020.

Gilmour has been a judge for the Tamworth Song Writing Contest since 2013.

“I’ve been going to the Tamworth Music Festival for the past 20 years or so,” he said.

“I soak in the music and people give me their latest music to play on the radio.

“We are also on the internet so people all over the world can listen in.”

Gilmour has received numerous awards including Most Popular DJ at the Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards in 2018 and 2022-2024.

He was inducted into the Tamworth Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2022.

In that same year he received an Honorary Kentucky Colonel Award from the Government of Kentucky in the US and the Dusty Boots Award for Services to country music.

His radio shows have won several awards at the Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards and he was named Most Popular Community Radio Announcer at the Indie Country Music Australia in 2018 and 2021.

Amanda Noffs OAM

Amanda Noffs of Macmasters Beach was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to youth through health programs.

Although she has suffered in recent years from Alzheimer’s, husband Wesley said she was still passionate about helping young people and the honour was extremely important to her.

Many call Amanda a “powerful force” in pioneering treatment programs for at-risk young Australians.

She worked with her husband at the Wesley Life Education Centre, helping to stabilise the organisation and see it expand through her research into what really worked with young people.

“She was one of the driving forces behind the Ted Noffs Foundation (in the 1990s), when there was nothing available for the (mental health) treatment of young people aged under 18,” Wesley said.

Ted Noffs Foundation is now the country’s largest youth drug treatment agency spanning the east coast.

“Later on in her career she became interested in youth justice and studied at the University of NSW to become a lawyer, after which she set up a partnership with a large law firm in Sydney offering free legal services to young people through the foundation,” Wesley said.

In 1992 Amanda was Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Ted Noffs Foundation, and Chief Operating Officer from 2006-2014.

She was co-founder of the PALM youth rehab, as well as founder in 2001 of ASK!, a free legal service for youth, and in 2011-2013 she was a Board member for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

She is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

Alan Wardrope OAM

Alan Wardrope of Tuggerawong was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the film and motion picture industry.

Following a successful journalistic career, in 1957 he joined public relations firm Eric White Associates, becoming a senior account executive as he continued to write freelance for a host of newspapers and magazines.

His success in handling major public relations projects caught the attention of executives at Paramount Studios and in 1961 he was hired to manage their advertising and publicity department in Australasia.

His marketing campaigns for The Carpetbaggers in 1964, Harlow in 1965 and Alfie in 1966 saw the beginning of an international career.

He became friends with many Hollywood power brokers and actors before being invited by the Australian Government to join the Australian Film Commission as its first director of marketing.

He helped commission and globally market iconic films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, Breaker Morant, and The Man from Snowy River.

He used his international connections to have Australian movies translated and distributed in non-English speaking countries such as France, Holland, Finland and Spain.

Wardrope was the first to take Australian movies to international film festivals like Cannes and Venice and marketed and arranged distribution deals for movies such as Don’s Party, My Brilliant Career, and Storm Boy.

In his retirement he mentored up-and-coming journalists and was a frequent guest lecturer at the Australian Film and Television School.

He was director, advertising and publicity, for Paramount Studios Australasia from 1961-c1970s and director, marketing for the Australian Film Commission from 1975-c1980s.

He was a guest lecturer at the Australian Film and Television School in the 1980s and is still a member of The Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers.

He has published an autobiography, Secrets of the Screen Trade: things you were not supposed to know; and two non-fiction books, Lost Expectations: the story of the real Miss Havisham, and The Returning.

“I am deeply grateful for this honour,'” Wardrope said of the award.

“It has been the pleasure of my lifetime promoting the amazingly talented men and women whose skill in front and behind the camera have made such an impact on the Australian and world’s motion picture industry.“

“Hollywood is a long way to go for a poor Hunter Valley coal miner’s son, born during the Depression in Cessnock; I often had to pinch myself to back in the day.”

Terry Collins and Denice Barnes