“Service Above Self” is second nature to Rotarians.  But we all know fellow members who go “above and beyond” in service to their community – and indeed our nation.
 
They seek no reward beyond mere satisfaction that they have made a difference in the lives of individuals or society in general.
 
We recognise their commitment by Clubs contributing to our Rotary Foundation or by a District or sometimes an RI Award.
 
But while many Rotarians have also been honoured by our Nation through the Order of Australia, certainly there are others well deserving of recognition – but have never been nominated – or sometimes unsuccessfully. How often have you searched the Australia Day and Queens Birthday Honours List to identify recognised Rotarians?
 
That’s why an “Australian Honours Advisory Panel” has been established under the aegis of the Rotary Institute to “Encourage the nomination of worthy Australian men and women for the Order of Australia recognition”.
 
The Panel will alert, facilitate and advise on the ready availability of Order of Australia Honours information – how to access nomination criteria and forms and tips for their effective submission to the Honours Secretariat, and the importance of selecting the most effective referees, in order to assist in maximising potential success - and the level of award.
 
Panel members are: PDG Len Goodman AO (Convenor); PDG Bob Aiken AM and Noel Trevaskis OAM (RIDE for 2016-18).  District Governors are being asked to nominate a Correspondence Liaison person - and to include reference to the Panel in their Directories.
 
The Panel has set up a new “Australian Honours” web page with the support of RDU (go to website), with a link to the Honours Secretariat official “It’s An Honour” web site.  The Panel is also inviting Districts to establish a link back to the Panel’s site.
 
Service to the Order of Australia Association as ACT Branch Chairman and on the National Board has given PDG Len Goodman AO an appreciation of Honours procedures as well as regular attendance at Investitures – where one listens in awe to the citations of Australian men and women who give of themselves in voluntary, community service. But there remain many more deserving of such recognition. Let’s make that possible.