AJN JUNE 12, 2020 6 SIVAN 20, 5780 NEWS 2020 • Queen’s Birthday Honours Mazal tov to our honorees A record number of Jewish recipients have been recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours. Mazal tov to all who have made our community proud. Naomi Milgrom • AC VICVIC SHE may already have an AO to her name, but now In the architectural realm, Milgrom was jury Further, Milgrom is a former councillor of the Naomi Milgrom can add two more initials – AC. chair of Powerhouse Precinct at Parramatta Australian Business Arts Foundation (Creative Milgrom was named a Companion of the International Design Competition and three-time Partnerships Australia) and a former trustee of Order of Australia for her eminent service to the former jury member of the World Architectural the Jewish Museum of Australia Foundation. community through philanthropic leadership Awards. Aside from her professional roles in the and support for the promotion of the arts, Milgrom is a donor to MPavilion, the Hellenic Sussan group, in business, Milgrom was an architecture, design excellence and cultural Museum, Melbourne Zoo and Monash University. advisory council member at the Centre for exchange, and to business. She was a member of the council of trustees Ethical Leadership; former board member at The group CEO and executive chair of retail at the National Gallery of Victoria, and former Melbourne Business School, the University of businesses Sussan, Sportsgirl and Suzanne Grae chair and director of the Australian Centre for Melbourne; former national councillor at the since 2003, Milgrom also holds innumerable Contemporary Art. other positions. Spanning international involvement in the Australian Retailers Association and director of She is founder of the Naomi Milgrom arts, Milgrom served with the Australia Council Magellan Financial Group from 2006-2014. Foundation, the annual MPavilion Project – a for the Arts as a commissioner for Australia at Milgrom has received honorary doctorates leading architecture commission and a cultural the 57th International Art Exhibition, Venice in business from RMIT University and the laboratory for the community to engage Biennale. She is an international council member University of New South Wales. She was and share – the Annual Living Cities Forums of the Tate Modern, London, and the Museum of awarded a Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from Monash University Photo: Facebook (Melbourne and Sydney), and the director of the Modern Art, New York; and is a member of the Menzies Foundation global patrons council of Art Basel. in 2010. Avoca Sofa, Otway Trestle Coffee Table & Johanna Ottoman by Kett. Photo by Lucas Nieuwenhuys. Lucas by Photo Kett. & Johanna Ottoman by Coffee Table Otway Sofa, Trestle Avoca JUNE 12, 2020 AJN NEWS SIVAN 20, 5780 11 Queen’s Birthday Honours • 2020 Eddie Kutner • AM VIC Abe Schneider • AM WA EDDIE Kutner has helped to shape the urban FROM building Australia’s first floodlit BMX landscape of one of Australia’s most bustling cities. racing track in the early 1970s to playing a One of the three founders of property development leading role in the sport’s development in group Central Equity, Kutner – a former developer and Australia and its inclusion since 2008 in the promoter of Melbourne’s South Bank Structure Plan – Olympic Games, Abe Schneider has contributed was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for more to bicycle motorcross than most. significant service to the property development and Since discovering BMX while competing financial sectors, and to science. in the USA at the end of his speedway racing “Thirty years ago, South Bank was solely industrial,” career, Schneider realised the sport’s enormous Kutner commented. “There was a huge piece of land that was amazingly positioned ... When we started we potential when it was still in its infancy. were a bit nervous but it didn’t take long for people “I’m a bit of a bulldog and believe everything to warm to it. We kept going and I don’t think there’s comes down to how badly you want it,” he said. been a year in the last 25 years when we haven’t “So I kept pushing for the sport – helping completed a development in South Bank.” establish the Australian BMX Association and Kutner, who is the deputy chair of Questacon: The then the national championships.” National Science and Technology Advisory Council, said his contribution to science education For his achievements, the life member is “not just interesting, but stimulating and immensely satisfying”. and former vice-president of BMX Western support – we’ll celebrate 50 years of marriage As the chair and founder of the Wonderment Walk, Victoria, Kutner commented, “I am Australia and BMX Australia – who served next month.” trying to use art as a basis to explore and promote scientific concepts and create a sense of as president of the BMX Commission within Schneider won an Australian Sports Medal wonder.” United Cycliste Internationale (UCI) from 2006 in 2000 and is an Australian Sports Federation Persisting through all his professional and philanthropic achievements is the support of his to 2018 – was appointed a Member of the Administrator of the Year recipient. family and colleagues. Order of Australia. Among his proudest achievements are “What stands out most is the longevity of my relationships with my family and workmates. Schneider, whose family moved to Australia convincing all delegates at an International It’s been very stable and calming which means I could focus on the things I love and am “with nothing” when he was 10, described BMX Federation conference in 1983 to join the committed to,” said Kutner, who is also the former vice-president and treasurer of Bialik becoming an AM as “a life-changing moment”. UCI, and delivering the inaugural speech to the College. “It’s incredible – I could not comprehend International Olympic Committee about why Paying tribute to his wife, Helen, and business partners Dennis Wilson and John Bourke, that they’ve given me the third highest honour BMX should be an Olympic sport. Kutner commented, “I share this moment with all of them and so many people who work in this country – not bad for a 1957 immigrant “That was my vision and dream – it was around us.” from Israel! ambitious and I had people asking what He added, “I’ve been very fortunate to grow up in Australia and enjoy all the opportunities “So I feel this is for all Jews in Australia, and medicine I was on – but it got done, and I’ve that its multicultural society has afforded me.” I particularly thank my wife, Barbara, for her thoroughly enjoyed the ride.” Emeritus Professor Peter Zelas • AM NSW EMERITUS professor Peter Zelas distinctly Medicine and its clinical school at Blacktown Specialists Without Borders and Medecins remembers being asked in class at Randwick Hospital in 2007. Sans Frontieres, treating patients in Malawi, Boys High School what he wanted to do when Upon Zelas’ retirement in 2018, having Rwanda, Liberia, Somalia, Nepal and Indonesia. he grew up, and answering “a doctor”. served for a decade in the key position of “That was a great experience, having the Almost six decades since he chose medicine clinical dean of the School of Medicine, WSU opportunity to treat patients who don’t have as a career – and 14 years since being awarded named a new library at its clinical school in his any health facilities, making a difference in a Medal of the Order of Australia – Zelas was honour. their lives – even in a small way – and learning appointed a Member of the Order of Australia Zelas told The AJN, “What spurred me on about their cultures.” on June 8 for his lifelong contribution to throughout my career was I loved talking to Among his other achievements are serving the field of surgery, health administration, patients, hearing their stories and doing my as chair of Sydney West Area Health Advisory education and humanitarian medical aid. very best to help them. Council and deputy chair of its governing He spent the last 45 years of his career “Then when I helped establish the [WSU] board, and receiving the Royal Australasian working at Blacktown and Mount Druitt medical school, I found a new lease on life by College of Surgeons Michael Donnellan Medal. Hospitals, and played a major role in discovering a love of teaching.” Zelas said he feels “overwhelmed” about his expanding their services, and establishing Between 2009 and 2016, Zelas also AM appointment. Western Sydney University’s (WSU) School of served as a volunteer doctor and surgeon for “I hadn’t expected it at all.” Dr Emily Matters • OAM NSW Dr Peter Conrad • OAM NSW WHILE teacher Dr Emily Matters has received “A FEELING of gratitude” is what Dr Peter recognition during her lifelong teaching Conrad experienced when he heard the career with awards by teacher associations, news about receiving a Medal of the Order of she admitted that the Queen’s Birthday Australia for service to vascular medicine, and honour for service to education is “special”. to professional organisations. Matters, of Lindfield, Sydney, is currently “It was a feeling of gratitude to my former teaching Latin and classical Greek at North colleagues in the field of phlebology in that Sydney Girls’ High School, but is working they went to so much trouble to nominate at home doing remote teaching due to me and to pursue my nomination,” Conrad COVID-19. said. “All my career I have taught Latin and In the 1970s, Conrad co-founded the classical Greek,” she said. “It’s nice to see Australian and New Zealand Society of that those subjects are flourishing again Phlebology, of which he was the foundation with more students, but my only regret Photo: Melanie Schmidt president, and the convenor of the World is that these days it is only available at Congress in 1998.