Tina Arena, Shane Howard, Peter Noble in Australia Day honours

Singer songwriters Tina Arena and Shane Howard and Bluesfest Director Peter Noble were among the 604 people in the Australia Day Honours List yesterday.

Others from the music community included a musician, a festival promoter, venue chief, pro-audio leader, instrument maker, jazz broadcaster and publicist

Arena and Howard were appointed Members of the Order of Australia (AM).

Arena was honoured for her singing – 8 million albums to date – as for her involvement in charities as child protection organisation Barnardos and Soldier On which supports rehabilitation for ex-services men and women. Last year she was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. She was also the first Australian to be honoured with a French Knighthood of the Order of National Merit, after the success of her French language albums during her 10-year stay in France.

Shane Howard, one time Goanna leader whose Solid Rock entered the US Top 30, used the publicity surrounding his honour to call for the country to become a republic. It was also his birthday on Australia Day so he went fishing before he returned to promoting his Deeper South album and working on next month’s staging of Exile: Songs & Tales of Irish Australia – a celebration of the Irish influence in Australian culture – in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Also gaining AM status were:

Peter Freedman, Managing Director of RODE Microphones “for significant service to business, manufacturing and export in the professional audio sector, and through philanthropic support for cultural events.”

Douglas Gautier, Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre, since 2006 and Chairman, Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres for the past three years. Aside from being a co-founder of the International Adelaide Guitar Festival, he has forged ties with Asia through roles in Asialink and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Sydney-based oud master Joseph Tawadros for “significant services to music.”

WA entertainer Eddie Storm who started out in the ‘50s in London fronting big bands and continues to perform his cabaret show.

Former children’s entertainer Patsy Biscoe who hung up her guitar in the mid-1990s and moved to South Australia’s wine growing Barossa Valley where she serves on the board of a wine growing cooperative and was Deputy Mayor from 2006 to 2011.

Sydney publicist Bruce Pollack who works in the entertainment field as well as in the health and social fields including the AIDS Council of NSW and Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service.

High profile media identity Lisa Wilkinson who also presented shows on Sydney radio WSFM in the late ‘90s.

Becoming an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) was Tasmanian entrepreneur David Walsh, mostly for his contribution to the visual arts through his Museum of Old and New Art but also for setting up the MONA FOMA and Dark MOFO festivals.

Receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) were:

Peter Noble for “service to live and recorded music, to tourism and to the community. His Bluesfest draws 100,000 over the five day Easter long weekend, and head of Bluesfest Touring. Noble was also founder of AIM Records and the Timbre Rock ’N Roots Festival in Singapore in 2009. A tireless champion of indigenous self respect he set up the Boomerang festival on the Bluesfest site, and put his support behind Australian Seabird Rescue; Bay FM 99.9; Byron Youth Service; Cancer Council; Cystic Fib­rosis Foundation; Playing For Change; The Uncle Project and Westpac Helicopter Rescue.

John Buchanan, for services to jazz as a promoter, broadcaster (including Fine Music, 2MBS, 2CCR, 2NSB) and as owner of B&W Music Recording Studio.

Ticketing doyen Patricia Alice Boggs helped stage and movie theatres develop their box office operations and shaped the way modern ticketing processes work in this country and worked with the travel industry to devise icket, flight and hotel packages for the entertainment sector.

Queensland magistrate and Attorney General John Braes served as Secretary of the Charters Towers Country Music Association during the 1980s.

Comboyne, NSW-based luthier Graham Caldersmith who began making handcrafted and acoustically designed guitars, violins, violas and cellos since 1978. Aside from sponsoring the National Violin Competition he also has published 32 papers on musical acoustics in international journals.

Entertainer, author, broadcaster and historian James Haynes is Managing Director of Singabout. He founded the Bandy Bill & Co Bush Band, served on the board of the Country Music Association of Australia, is a life member of the Academy of Country Music and co-founded the Stone The Crows festival, in Wagga Wagga and the Australian Bush Laureate Awards.

Carole Whitelock, one time presenter on ABC Radio 891 Adelaide, was honoured for her charity work and constant fund raising.