Service in schools, healthcare, parish life and charitable outreach was recognised in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours, with Catholics among those honoured for decades of dedication to their communities.
The honours, announced on 8 June, recognised 949 Australians for outstanding contributions to their communities, professions and the nation, including 703 recipients in the General Division of the Order of Australia.
This year the number of recipients with substantial Catholic affiliations, or who were awarded for services to Catholic or other Christian parishes or organisations, appeared much lower than in previous years.
Among those with significant connections to Catholic institutions in the Archdiocese of Sydney was Helen Conway AO, a former board member of Catholic Healthcare from 1998 to 2007.
She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to business and legal governance, gender equity, youth social welfare and the not-for-profit sector.
Geoffrey Joy OAM was recognised for a lifetime of service to Catholic education.
Joy served as Headmaster of St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill, from 1977 to 1982 before becoming Director of Finance for the Catholic Education Office, Sydney, from 1983 to 1992.
He later served as Executive Director of Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn from 1993 to 2006, helping shape Catholic education across two dioceses over several decades.
The late Phillip Joseph Duggan OAM, a parishioner of St Michael’s Parish, Lane Cove, was also recognised.
Duggan’s service extended beyond parish life and included leadership roles with Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College, membership of parish finance committees and many years volunteering with Matthew Talbot Hostel.
He was also widely known as co-founder of property management company Bright & Duggan.
The honours list also included a number of recipients with strong ties to Catholic organisations across Australia, including former Catholic education leaders, St Vincent de Paul Society members, parish volunteers and Catholic school supporters.
Among them were figures associated with Centacare Brisbane, the St Vincent de Paul Society, parish pastoral councils, Catholic welfare organisations and Catholic schools, reflecting the breadth of Catholic service recognised by the honours system.
Nationally, prominent recipients included former Australian Democrats leader Natasha Stott Despoja AC, former Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman AC and mathematician Professor Terence Tao AC.
Nominate your ‘local hero’
The King’s Birthday Honours are among Australia’s highest forms of recognition for outstanding contribution to the nation, with recipients drawn from all walks of life and across a wide range of fields.
While some recipients are well-known, many are ‘quiet heroes’ and include local volunteers and community leaders who labour tirelessly without any accolade.
Anyone can nominate a person for a future honour via the online nomination portal at www.gg.gov.au, or by contacting the Governor-General’s Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat at honours@gg.gov.au.
