Quantum physicist named 2018 Australian of the Year, The New Daily, 26 January, 2018.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/01/25/australian-of-the-year-2018/


Quantum physicist named 2018 Australian of the Year


Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons is looking to build a quantum computer capable of solving problems in minutes. Photo: ABC
John Stapleton
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Quantum physicist Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons, described by some as the Marie Curie of Australia and with an almost unparalleled record of achievement, has been named the 2018 Australian of the Year.

Professor Simmons leads a research team at the University of NSW, which in 2012 developed the world’s first transistor made from a single atom, as well as the world’s thinnest wire.

She dreams of creating a quantum computer capable of solving problems in minutes, which would otherwise take thousands of years.

Eddie Woo (Australia’s Local Hero), Samantha Kerr (Young Australian of the Year) and Dr Graham Farquhar AO (Senior Australian of the Year) were also honoured at a ceremony in Canberra on Thursday night.

Professor Simmons, who arrived in Australia from Britain in 1999, says she is driven by a desire to create technology useful to everybody.

“Wow, amazing moment,” she said in her acceptance speech.

“I came to Australia because i believed it would allow me to realise my dream.

“I pinch myself everyday. What we are doing extraordinary.”Michelle Yvonne Simmons’s work in quantum physics is developing leading technology on a global scale.

Likely to prove one of the most popular Australians of the Year since the awards began in 1960, she told an adoring audience her team were already manipulating individual atoms to create technology which had never existed before.

“We want to build not just a quantum computer but a quantum industry. We have proven time and time again that Australian researchers have unique advantages. We are down to earth. Our distaste for authority means we think for ourselves,” she said.

She urged the country to defy expectations and follow the four mantras: Do what is hard, take risks, embrace high expectations and do work that matters.

“We are fortunate to live in a country which not just accepts these mantras but celebrates them. Be proud of your country and who you are.

“You can realise your dreams … right here. Look into your own heart. And look into your own land.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who introduced each of the winners at an event in Canberra, said the contenders were a “shining example of our best selves. Their lives have made our lives better”.
Senior Australian of the Year — Dr Graham Farquhar AOANU scientist Graham Farquhar was the winner of the 2017 Kyoto Prize. Photo: ANU

Scientist Graham Farquhar was named Senior Australian of the Year for his work focusing on food security and climate change.

The Australian National University biophysicist won the 2017 Kyoto Prize – an equivalent to the Nobel Prize.

“Australia Day is the day we celebrate, amongst other things, the people who have grown old in this country. Let no one grow old alone,” he told the audience on Thursday night.

“We can be creative. We can struggle for honesty. We can deal with failures. We are all lucky because of our ability to embrace creativity.”
Young Australian of the Year — Samantha KerrSam Kerr (left) received the award for her on-field achievements and work advocating for women’s sport.

Samantha Kerr, arguably the best female soccer player in the world, was named the Young Australian of the Year.

By the time she was 15, she represented the Matildas. Known for her prolific goal scoring ability and trademark backflip, an emotional, almost tearful Ms Kerr said the award was an endorsement of women’s sport: “As a female athlete this makes me extremely proud to be an Australian.”
Australia’s Local Hero — Eddie Woo

Eddie Woo, 32, is arguably Australia’s most famous mathematics teacher thanks largely to his quirky online videos on his channel Wootube, which attracts more than 100,000 subscribers.

Mr Woo, whose parents came to Australia from Malaysia in the 1970s, said in an impassioned speech: “I stand before you not as an individual, but as a proud representative of every teacher around the country.

“We know the power of giving a child the priceless gift of an education. I am no more a hero than anyone else. All I have done is open a window through to the hard work and dedication that happens in schools around the country. I call on every Australian to value education.”NSW mathematics teacher Eddie Woo was named Australia’s Local Hero for 2018. Photo: AAP

Order of Australia: The famous faces and unsung heroes who received the honour, The New Daily, 26 January, 2018.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/01/26/order-of-australia-recipients-2018/

Order of Australia: The famous faces and unsung heroes who received the honour


Olympic swimmer Shane Gould (pictured here with her Olympic medals) is a new member of the Order of Australia. Photo: AAP
John Stapleton
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Eighty-year-old Patricia Elliott, who lives on a rural block seven kilometres outside of Katherine in the Northern Territory, had no idea she was even nominated for an Order of Australia until a letter arrived from the Governor-General.

Mrs Elliott was one of the 895 recipients to receive the honour from Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, with investitures to take place in government houses around the country in the coming months.

After winning a government ballot for a pastoral lease in 1964, Mrs Elliott and her husband raised eight children on a property outside Katherine.

It was that experience which engendered a lifetime obsession with remote area education, and has now led to her becoming a Member of the Order of Australia.

The debacle of the NBN, she says, is severely impacting on remote education.

“Regardless of race, creed or colour a child in a remote area deserves equality of education,” Mrs Elliott told The New Daily. “You want your children to have the best opportunities they can. This honour goes to all the parents educating their kids in remote areas. They deserve it.”

The Governor-General congratulated the recipients for their contribution: “These are our nation’s honours, reserved for those who are often unsung, quietly working away to uplift our nation. Their qualities – compassion, dedication, generosity, selflessness, tolerance, and energetic ambition – inspire and motivate us.”

However, after a 12-month campaign to encourage broader community participation, only 33 per cent of recipients are female, roughly in line with the percentage of original nominations.

Sir Peter Cosgrove said. “We’d love to see more diversity in our awards. Let’s make sure everyone gets a fair go and the chance to be recognised by their country.”

One of the features of this year’s awards has been the recognition of sporting women, including celebrated tennis player Evonne Goolagong, who won 14 grand slam titles in the 1970s and 1980s, sprinter Betty Cuthbert, who was a gold medalist at the Melbourne and Tokyo Olympics, and Michele Timms, regarded as one of the greatest Australian basketball players of all time.

Legendary swimmer and new Order of Australia member Shane Gould won three gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics and broke numerous world records. Her prompt retirement from international sport saddened and mystified the nation.

After raising a family of four in relative obscurity, she has remarried and completed two Masters degrees.

She told The New Daily of her sporting past: “You have to remember I was a kid. Like a lot of young athletes I was used for nationalistic projects. I was asked to do things that were really impossible.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the nation’s involvement in the coalition bombing of both Iraq and Syria, as well as the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, a significant number of awards have gone to military personnel.

Lieutenant Colonel David McCammon received a Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership as the Commanding Officer overseeing a leading training unit in Iraq. He delivered training to over 9000 Iraqi Army soldiers and then equipped and trained five Iraqi Brigades during a highly demanding operational period.

Colonel Matthew James Cuttell received a Commendation for Distinguished Service for his duties in warlike operations as the Chief of Operations in Iraq, including providing advice during battlefield incidents.

In scientific endeavours, the Order of Australia went to Professor Rhys Jones for mechanical and aerospace engineering, Professor Trevor McDougall for his contributions in the area of ocean thermodynamics, and Professor Jennifer Martin for the study of drug-resistant bacteria.

Journalist Tracey Spicer received an award for service to broadcast media.

Dark Dark Policing, Chapter One: Onslaught, 2018. Draft. Pages 1-10.

Dark Dark Policing, Chapter One: Onslaught, 2018. Draft. Pages 11-20.

Dark Dark Policing, Chapter One: Onslaught, 2018. Draft. Pages 21-24.