Patron
The Hon John Winston Howard OM AC
John Winston Howard, born July 26, 1939, served as Australia’s 25th Prime Minister between March 1996 and November 2007. He is the nation’s second longest serving Prime Minister, was a Member of Parliament for 33 years, and was Treasurer in an earlier Government.
Under his leadership Australia enjoyed continued economic growth averaging 3.6% per annum. His Government delivered major economic reform in the areas of taxation, workplace relations, privatisation and welfare. $96 billion of Government debt was repaid during the time in office of the Howard Government. When he left office in November 2007 the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia had no net debt, and its budget was in surplus. This strong fiscal position was a major reason why Australia suffered relatively few consequences from the global financial crisis.
Shortly after Mr Howard came to power, he responded to the massacre of 35 people by a lone gunman at Port Arthur in Tasmania with the implementation of national gun control laws, which included a general prohibition on the ownership or possession of automatic or semi-automatic weapons.
John Howard’s Government strongly supported the United States and other nations in the fight against terrorism. Australia contributed military forces to operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Australia also led the United Nations sanctioned INTERFET force following East Timor’s vote for independence. The Howard Government strengthened bilateral ties between Australia and many nations in Asia. During Mr Howard’s time as Prime Minister, China became Australia’s largest export destination.
Mr Howard is a Companion of the Order of Australia and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States by President George W Bush. In January 2012 Queen Elizabeth II appointed Mr Howard to the Order of Merit. In 2013 he received the Japanese Award, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Dawn Fraser AC MBE
Dawn Fraser AC MBE is arguably Australia’s most decorated and most controversial athlete of all time. Known for her politically incorrect behaviour and larrikin character as much as her athletic ability, she won eight Olympic medals, and six British Empire and Commonwealth Games gold medals.
She won the Olympic 100m freestyle title at the 1956 Melbourne Games and went on to win it again at the 1960 Rome Games and the 1964 Tokyo Games, becoming the first and only swimmer of either sex to win the same event at three successive Olympics. She was the first woman to break the minute for the 100m freestyle, held the world record for that distance for an incredible sixteen years, and possessed 23 individual world records and was part of 12 team world records.
In retirement, she owned a cheese shop in Balmain and a hotel for five years and became Patron of the German Shepherd Dog Council of Australia (her favourite animal), Seahorse Nippers Noosa and Paws for Friendship.
Achievements
- 1961: Awarded Helms award
- 1962: First female to break one-minute barrier for the 100m freestyle
- 1964: Australian of the Year
- 1964: Awarded the ABC Sportsperson of the Year
- 1965: Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- 1965: Made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- 1980: Awarded the Olympic Order by the IOC
- 1985: Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame – the inaugural female Inductee
- 1988: Bi-Centenary Ambassador
- 1988-1991: Elected to the NSW State Parliament, representing the City of Balmain
- 1993: Elevated to Legend of Australian Sport
- 1998: Made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) Awarded AO
- 1999: Voted Female Swimmer of the Century
- 1999: Voted Athlete of the Century by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- 1999: Voted the World’s Greatest Living Female Water Sports Champion
- 2000: Awarded the Australian Sports Medal
- 2000: Voted the First Lady of the Sydney Olympic Games by the IOC
- 2018: Made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
- 2019: Awarded Life Member of Swimming Australia
- 2019: Appointed to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Board
- 2025: Appointed Co-Patron of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame