Queensland Australians of the Year congratulated

Premier Campbell Newman has honoured the four leading Queenslanders who received the State’s 2013 Australian of the Year Awards, at a ceremony in Brisbane.

Mr Newman said the awards showcased some incredible people who serve as role models across the State.

“From the 16 finalists I am proud to congratulate Professor Adele Green AC (Queensland Australian of the Year), Lawrie Lawrence (Queensland Senior Australian of the Year), Sally Pearson (Queensland Young Australian of the Year) and Sergeant Dimitrios (Jim) Bellos (Queensland Local Hero) as our four Queensland recipients,” Mr Newman said.

“Their dedication to hard work, breaking down barriers and passion for the moment make Queensland and Australia the wonderful place we know and love.

"Our Queensland recipients will now join those from the other states and territories as finalists in the national awards.”

Mr Newman said the national awards would be announced by the Prime Minister in Canberra on 25 January 2013. 

“I wish them all the best and look forward to hearing some Queensland names announced on Australia Day,” he said.

The Australian of the Year Awards is a National Australia Day Council program and is proudly supported by the Queensland Government.

More information is available at www.australianoftheyear.org.au

[ENDS] 15 November 2012

Media Contact: Premier’s Office 3224 4500

Queensland recipient biographies

Australian of the Year

Professor Adèle Green AC – Cancer researcher

Professor Adèle Green has been at the frontline of melanoma research for 20 years. That’s long enough to see students she has inspired and mentored join the campaign against the disease which is diagnosed in 9,000 Australians every year. Adèle is head of cancer and population studies at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. She focuses on assessing the impact of environmental factors in the cause and prognosis of melanoma as well as the effect of genes on the development of melanoma. Her research establishing that daily sunscreen use can halve the risk of melanoma set the benchmark for prevention. More recently Adèle was lead author on a study of more than 26,000 Queenslanders diagnosed early with thin melanomas, which revealed a heartening 20-year survival rate for 96 per cent of patients. The study received international acclaim and has been described as a blueprint for assessing thin melanomas with a risk of metastatic disease. A brilliant mentor, Adèle has also been recognised for her contribution to public health including Indigenous health and her leadership in the wider scientific community.

Senior Australian of the Year

Laurie Lawrence – Swimming coach (Currumbin)

Swimming coach Laurie Lawrence is known nationally for his spirited personality, his zest for life and for coaching champions but arguably his greatest achievement is reducing the risk of small children drowning. His passion for baby swimming began with the birth of his first daughter Jane in 1975. In 1988, troubled by the fact that drowning is the most common cause of death in children under five, Laurie created the Kids Alive - Do the Five water safety campaign to reduce the risk of preschool aged children drowning. Laurie’s widely acclaimed program starts with the smallest babies, teaching them the skills to save themselves from drowning. Aiming to reduce child drowning rates to zero, Laurie demonstrates the same conviction that saw him coach the Australian Olympic swimming team at Los Angeles in 1984, Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992. His best known protégés include Steve Holland, Tracey Wickham, Jon Sieben and Duncan Armstrong. His Olympic coaching achievements include 10 gold, 11 silver and 12 bronze medals from swimmers he has directly assisted. Swimmers he has coached boast 23 world records.

Young Australian of the Year

Sally Pearson, aged 26 – Olympic champion (Gold Coast)

Olympic champion Sally Pearson was a promising young athlete of 14 when she saw Cathy Freeman storm home to win gold at the Sydney Olympics. Her dream of gold was born at that moment and it came true in 2012 when she held off the opposition to win gold in the women's 100 metres hurdles at the London Olympics. She had previously won the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles and again at the World Championships and the World Indoor Championships in 2011. Coming into the London Olympics Sally had won 32 of her past 34 races and carried the added weight of Australia’s expectations. In a race that was anticipated almost as much as Freeman’s race 12 years earlier, those expectations were fulfilled before a crowd of 80,000 when she edged out America's defending Olympic champion Dawn Harper.  Two hundredths of a second separated them with Sally clocking 12.35 seconds to break the Olympic record. In 2011 Sally was named Female Athlete of the Year by the International Association of Athletics Federations – the first Australian to receive the award.

Queensland’s Local Hero

Sergeant Dimitrios (Jim) Bellos – Community champion

Sergeant Jim Bellos is the Queensland Police Service’s cross-cultural liaison officer for southern Brisbane, an area home to 200 communities speaking 150 languages and practising more than 130 religions. Over the years, Jim has built a relationship of trust, respect and understanding between these communities and the police. With endless energy and enthusiasm he establishes community consultative groups, organises multi-faith dinners, supports people through personal and family tragedy and best known of all, runs the For the Love of the Game program. The program brings together more than 8,000 young people from diverse backgrounds, through the shared enjoyment of sport, particularly soccer. It is a real catalyst in breaking down barriers and has resulted in a substantial decline in youth crime. When the 2011 floods devastated a local sporting store Jim returned from holidays and gathered together 400 volunteers to clean up. On call 24 hours a day, seven days a week Jim’s voluntary work extends far beyond his core work responsibilities.