Music, radio identities make it onto Order of Australia list

A number of music and radio identities made it onto the Order of Australia list last Friday.

* Singer-songwriter Russell Morris was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to music and to charities over 50 years.

After exploding as a solo singer in the late ‘60s with ‘The Real Thing’, Morris turned troubadour with songs as ‘Wings of An Eagle’, ‘Sweet Sweet Love’ and ‘Mr. America’. After a lengthy stint in America, he returned to Australia in the ‘80s.

But after being turned down by every major label, he made a huge comeback with a Australian-centric blues trilogy Sharkmouth (2012), Van Diemens Land (2014) and Red Dirt Red Heart (2015) which won him awards.

The artist, now based on Hope Island in Queensland after decades in Melbourne, is back as a festival favourite and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008.

* Artist manager and tech production manager Dominic “Mick” Mazzone received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the music industry and for his wide charitable endeavours.

Mazzone, who started out playing in, and doing sound for, bands in Adelaide, later moved to Sydney where he set up Mighty Management and M Records, and built up a formidable reputation as a technical director, producer and sound engineer around the country.

He was also a founding member of the Music Managers Forum and a founder and trustee of the music industry’s charity, the Golden Stave Foundation.

* Diana Allen (OAM for services to jazz music) spent a lifetime supporting established and emerging Australian and international jazz names. She believed that if classical greats as Bach and Beethoven had lived today, they would have been drawn to the imagination of jazz.

Allen, now semi-retired in Point Lonsdale outside Melbourne, set up Jazz Australia in 1985, setting up festivals, concerts and jazz cruises. She was also on the board of the Arts Council of Barwon Heads.

Her work on charity performances has raised over $200,000 for organisations as Terang Civic Theatre, the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the Queenscliffe Historical Museum.

* Tim Holt received an OAM “for service to the broadcast media, particularly through radio.”

Between 1996 and 2015 when he retired, he was a presenter and researcher on ABC Radio South East (NSW) and before that worked at commercial and community radio stations including 2EC East Coast Radio, 2XL Cooma, Radio 2BE, Bega and Radio DJ Sydney.

He was also involved in events including Narooma Blues Festival,Cobargo Folk Festival, Bega Valley Motor Sports Club, Far South Coast Motorcycle Club, Bega Valley Advocates for Timor Leste and Zephyrs Jazz Committee.

* Named in 2001 as one of the 75 people who had shaped Canberra, former arts critics for The Canberra Times and ABC Radio 2CN, Domenico Mico also served as artistic director for festivals as Moon and National Multicultural, a committee member for grants at ACT Cultural Council and most recently executive director of Tuggeranong Community Arts Centre.

* Janet Cameron, managing director of Grant Broadcasters, received an OAM for service to the broadcast media.

* Lindsay Renwick (OAM) many contributions to the NSW community of Deniliquin was also as founder member of the Deniliquin Ute Muster festival.

* Ulrike Klein (Officer of the Order of Australia, AO), best known for her setting up associations related to classical and chamber music (including setting up UKARIA Cultural Centre and recital hall in 2015) and philanthropy, has also been a Director of Adelaide Festival since 2015.

* Mel Mayer (OAM) was lauded for his contribution to radio broadcast production as well as his service to the community of Coolamon.

He began as a sound effects man mostly on jingles (including Aeroplane Jelly) and became an expert in sound production as the music industry went through wax cylinders to vinyl, 8-track and cassettes, mini-discs and CDs.

He worked at Sony Music, for over 60 years in various capacities including assembling compilations.

In the wider entertainment field:

* Graham Burke, executive chairman and co-chief executive officer, Village Roadshow was a recipient of the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), for “distinguished service to film production, marketing, exhibition and distribution”, to the broadcast media industry (involved with establishing Austereo, and created Sydney 2DayFM) and trustee of Arts Centre Melbourne.

* Also receiving an AO was documentary maker Ian Darling, for his work including founding Shark Island Productions, Chair of Sydney Theatre Company, School for Performing Arts and Creative Education and Youth Music Foundation of Australia.

* Ian Robertson (AO) services to film production, include being president of Film Victoria, deputy chair of Screen Australia and director of Beyond International Limited.

* Prof Patricia Hoffe (AM) was also founder and director, Sustainable Environment through Culture, Asia-Pacific, a board member of the Queensland Art Workers Alliance and served as Queensland Editor for Artlink magazine for 20 years..

* In between his work in Perth urban development, Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority CEO Kieran Kinsella (OAM) also served as president of the Gascoyne Arts Council, and board member of Regional Arts Australia and Country Arts WA.

* Highly acclaimed musicals producer Walter Van Nieuwkuyk (OAM) executive produced ’The King and I, South Pacific, Hello Dolly, Grease: The Musical, Jerry’s Girls and Big River.

Two years ago he was made Life Member of Live Performance Australia, and is currently Emeritus Executive Producer at The Gordon Frost Organisation.