2006 Queensland Greats recipients
The Queensland Greats honoured in 2006 were::
- Mater Misericordiae Health Services
- Professor Ian Frazer AC
- Dr Jim Kennedy AO CBE
- Greg Norman AO
- Dr Margaret Olley AC
- Geoffrey Rush.
Mater Misericordiae Health Services
More than a hundred years ago, a group of nuns from the Sisters of Mercy Order recognised a desperate need for a public health service in Brisbane and opened a small hospital in a former residential home in North Quay. This later became the Mater Hospital, one of the largest providers of health care in Australia. The Mater is now a world-class group of hospitals which has achieved outstanding milestones. These include the introduction of Brisbane’s first blood transfusion service during World War II, ground-breaking development of services for HIV/AIDS patients in the 1980s, and the opening of the first private children’s hospital in Australia. The Mater was also the first hospital in Australia to perform in utero laser surgery on babies with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
Professor Ian Frazer AC
Professor Ian Frazer is a clinical immunologist who founded The University of Queensland's Diamantina Institute. For more than 20 years he has been researching the link between papilloma viruses and cancer, seeking ways to treat these viruses in order to reduce the incidence of cancer. Professor Frazer has developed vaccines to prevent and to treat cervical cancer. Within a generation these vaccines have the potential to virtually eradicate the risk of cervical cancer, which currently affects almost 500,000 women each year. This vaccine has revolutionised women's health across the globe. Professor Frazer embodies Australian know-how, determination and innovation.
Dr Jim Kennedy AO CBE
Jim Kennedy is a life member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. He has served on the boards of many major Australian public companies including the Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, Australian Stock Exchange, Suncorp, Santos, Mt Isa Mines, QCT Resources, Pacific Dunlop, GWA International, Macquarie Goodman-Daily Sun and Sunday Sun. He has conducted a number of commissions and enquiries for governments including the Australian, Queensland and Northern Territory tourism industries, Royal Commission into Commonwealth Department of Posts and Telegraphs, Workers Compensation in Queensland, Corrective Services in Queensland and Queensland Racing Incentive Scheme. He has been chairman of a number of government statutory bodies including the Australian Postal Commission, Queensland Investment Corporation, Queensland Tourist and Travel Corporation and the Queensland Corrective Services Commission.
Greg Norman AO
Greg Norman is one of Australia’s most successful sporting stars. Greg, better know as ‘The Shark’, has won 86 professional events around the world including winning two British Open Championships in 1986 and 1993. He is also CEO of Great White Shark Enterprises, a multinational company operating across a range of ventures, from golf course design to wine and food, and sports apparel. Greg also founded the Greg Norman Foundation in 1988, which aims to develop and nurture young Queensland golfers. It has provided a springboard for the careers of many young golfers, including Karrie Webb and Adam Scott.
Dr Margaret Olley AC
The late Margaret Olley, a respected artist and philanthropist, was one of Australia’s most loved artists. Margaret won numerous prizes for her work and her paintings are in art galleries throughout Australia, including the Queensland Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. In 1997 she was declared a national treasure and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by The University of Queensland. Margaret was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Visual Arts by the University of Sydney.
