CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Mr WALLACE (Fisher) (10:42): I want to recognise six outstanding residents of Fisher who were honoured in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours list this year, in June. These awards recognise Australians who have given years and, in many cases, decades of service to their communities and to our region. I'm incredibly proud that six people from across my electorate were among those recognised earlier this year.
Dr Hope O'Chin AM of Kings Beach was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the Indigenous community as an artist and an educator. Dr Rebecca Spindler AM of Maleny was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to conservation science, wildlife reproduction research and biodiversity protection. Judith Crighton OAM of Shelly Beach received the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to conservation and wildlife.
Jacqueline Gasson OAM of Ilkley was recognised for her service to the arts as a ceramicist. Neville Male OAM of Wurtulla received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to photography. Christopher Symonds OAM of Montville was recognised for more than five decades of service to communities across Queensland through the Lions Club.
Chris is a particularly good example of what community service looks like. After serving our nation in the Royal Australian Navy, he continued serving others for more than 50 years. Through Lions, he's helped communities recover from cyclones, raised funds for Blue Nurses, supported charitable organisations and helped provide meals for disadvantaged children right across Queensland.
People like Chris do not volunteer because they expect recognition. They do it because they see something that needs to be done and they get on and they go and do it. That same spirit of service is reflected in each of the six Fisher recipients.
Whether it's through education, science, conservation, the arts—such as photography—or community volunteering, each of them has used their skills and their time to make life better for others. That is what makes the King's Birthday honours so important. They give us an opportunity to recognise people who, often quietly and without fanfare, have spent years contributing to something bigger than themselves.
Our community on the Sunshine Coast is stronger because of people like them. So, on behalf of the people of Fisher, I congratulate them on this very well deserved recognition. Thank you for your service to our community, to Queensland, to Australia and, of course, also to the Sunshine Coast.