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| Queensland Greats for 2007. Left to right: Leneen Forde, Doug Hall, Ashley Cooper, John Hay, Sir Leo Hielscher and Danny Hoyland (representing Surf Life Saving Queensland). |
Premier Peter Beattie presented the organisation with a Queensland Greats Institution Award in recognition of almost 100 years of vigilance on the State's beaches.
More than 100,000 lives have been saved on Queensland beaches since recordings began in 1930. This season alone, 2,240 people have been rescued.
Surf Life Saving Queensland has over 28,000 voluntary members who are based at 59 clubs dotting the coastline. Surf Life Saving Queensland will celebrate its centenary in 2009, the same year Queensland celebrates its 150th anniversary.
Also named Queensland Greats were tennis ace Ashley Cooper, former Governor of Queensland Leneen Forde, former Director of the Queensland Art Gallery Doug Hall, Vice Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland Professor John Hay and former Under-Treasurer of Queensland Sir Leo Hielscher.
The Premier introduced the awards program in 2001 as a way of acknowledging Queenslanders who have excelled in their field and made a lasting contribution to the State. Since then, 35 individuals and two institutions have been honoured.
Ashley Cooper
Winner of eight Grand Slam titles, Ashley Cooper has achieved outstanding success on the international tennis circuit and made a significant contribution to the development of tennis in Queensland. The world's top-ranked player in 1957-58, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. After retiring from tennis, Ashley served as a player development administrator with Tennis Queensland and is currently on the Board of Directors for Tennis Australia.
Leneen Forde
Leneen was Queensland's first female Governor, a position she held from 1992 to 1997, and only the second woman to be appointed as governor of an Australian state. In 1998, she was appointed to Chair the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions. Chancellor of Griffith University since 2000, she sits on many boards including the Queensland Ballet, the Alzheimer's Association of Australia and the Foundation for Survivors of Domestic Violence. Queenslander of the Year in 1991, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1993 and is a Dame of Grace in the order of St John of Jerusalem.
Doug Hall
Former Director of the Queensland Art Gallery, Doug Hall has provided an outstanding contribution to the arts in Queensland. Under his direction, the Queensland Art Gallery has become an innovator and leader, gaining a reputation as an accessible cultural institution of international standing. He expanded the gallery's international focus and developed a strong engagement with Asia, especially through his initiative, the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. Doug conceived and oversaw the development of the new Gallery of Modern Art which opened last December.
Professor John Hay
Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland since 1996, Professor Hay has strengthened Queensland's reputation for providing world-class education and undertaking world-class research. Under his leadership, The University of Queensland was named Australia's University of the Year and has advanced to second position nationally for total competitive research funding. Professor Hay led the development of several new research centres including the $105 million Queensland Biosciences Precinct. In 2005, Professor Hay was appointed an Official Smart State Ambassador for Queensland.
Sir Leo Hielscher
Sir Leo has been instrumental in shaping the state, helping to transform the Queensland of the 1960s into the strong, robust economic powerhouse it is today. He has over 50 years of experience in government, superannuation, banking and finance. From 1974 to 1988, Sir Leo was the Under Treasurer of Queensland and prior to that was Deputy Under Treasurer for 10 years. He was appointed Chairman of the Queensland Treasury Corporation Advisory Board in 1988. Sir Leo was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship in 1973, a Knight Bachelor in 1987, an Honorary Doctorate of Griffith University in 1993, and a Companion in the Order of Australia in the General Division in 2004.
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