Three Ballarat residents have been recognised for their contributions to the community in this year's King's Birthday honours, spanning from the environment and education, veterans' welfare, and art.
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Patrice O'Shea, Bill Dobell and Aunty Marlene Gilson have been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for their hard and tireless work.
You can read all about them below.
For many years Patrice O'Shea lived near the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens in Daylesford and she and her children would enjoy the surrounds of the Victorian-era gardens.
But then they moved further out of town, and her job as a teacher and eventually school administrator got busy, the family spent less time at the gardens.
When she retired from her job as assistant head of school at Ballarat Grammar in 2009, Ms O'Shea joined the Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens group, where she has been secretary since 2010.
For her service to the environment, and to secondary education, Ms O'Shea has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2024 King's Birthday honours.
Read more about Patrice O'Shea's story here.
When discussing his time in the Vietnam War, veteran William "Bill" Dobell's arms twitch and involuntarily wrap themselves around him in a protective motion.
It's a symptom of the post traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] he's suffered for more than 50 years.
Since returning from Vietnam, Mr Dobell has made it his mission to help other veterans.
He has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his tireless work in setting up support networks aimed at helping Vietnam veterans with such symptoms.
Read more about Bill's story here.
When Marlene Gilson first started painting, her art was focused on the Dreamtime and birds. Then she realised she liked painting people, telling the stories and deconstructing popularised tales.
The Wadawurrung traditional owner is best known for Ballarat: My Country, painting Aboriginal people into the goldfields in a work that has been animated and projected on to the eastern Bennelong sails of the Sydney Opera House.
Aunty Marlene's contribution to visual arts has been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2024 King's Birthday honours.
Read Auntie Marlene's story here.
