2006 Queensland Greats recipients
The Queensland Greats honoured in 2006 were::
- Professor Ian Frazer AC
- Dr Jim Kennedy AO CBE (C)
- Greg Norman AO
- Dr Margaret Olley AC
- Geoffrey Rush AC
- Mater Misericordiae Health Services
Professor Ian Frazer AC
Medical researcher
Professor Ian Frazer AC is a medical researcher and clinical immunologist who founded The University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute. For more than 20 years Ian has been researching the link between papilloma viruses and cancer, seeking ways to treat these viruses in order to reduce the incidence of cancer. Ian has developed vaccines to prevent and treat cervical cancer—within a generation these vaccines have the potential to virtually eradicate the risk of cervical cancer. This vaccine has revolutionised women’s health across the globe.
Dr Jim Kennedy AO CBE (C)
Business leader
The late Dr Jim Kennedy AO CBE (C) was a business leader who served on the boards of many major Australian public companies including the Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, Australian Stock Exchange, Suncorp and Santos. He conducted a number of commissions and enquiries for governments including the Australian, Queensland and Northern Territory tourism industries and chaired several 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
Golfer
Greg Norman AO is one of Australia’s most successful sporting stars. Better known as ‘The Great White Shark’, Greg has won 91 professional golfing events around the world including 2 British Open Championships. 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 with a vision to develop and nurture young Queensland golfers, including Karrie Webb and Adam Scott, providing a springboard for their careers.
Dr Margaret Olley AC
Artist
The late Dr Margaret Olley AC remains one of Australia’s most respected artists and philanthropists. Margaret won numerous prizes for her work and her paintings are in art galleries throughout Australia, including Queensland Art Gallery and National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. In 1997 she was declared a national treasure and 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.
Geoffrey Rush AC
Actor
Geoffrey Rush AC is an internationally acclaimed, multi-Oscar nominated actor who won an Academy Award for his astonishing performance in Shine. Geoffrey began his career in Brisbane in the 1970s, working to establish himself as a serious stage actor, primarily with the Queensland Theatre Company. Soon after, he scored the role of a lifetime, playing piano prodigy David Helfgott in Shine. Shine took Geoffrey to Hollywood and was the start of a major international film career.
Mater Misericordiae Health Services
Mater Misericordiae Health Services is a compassionate service provided to the sick and needy. More than 100 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. This became the Mater Hospital, one of the largest health care providers in Australia. The Mater is now a world-class group of hospitals with achievements including 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.