Standing up for rights: a lifetime of advocacy honoured
Growing up on an Aboriginal mission, every aspect of Aunty Millie Ingram's life was controlled.
So when she challenged an unfair dismissal at the chocolate factory where she worked in the 1950s, Ms Ingram surprised herself.
"Coming off a mission under the control of mission managers, that wasn't the done thing," the Wiradjuri woman told AAP.
"I stood up for myself and I won."
Ms Ingram had moved from central west NSW, where she grew up on Erambie Mission, near Cowra, to Redfern to find work.
She started working at the factory, enrolled in night courses and so began a lifetime of steadfast activism for Aboriginal people.
This advocacy spans decades across government, education, land rights and grassroots initiatives.
"I've had a lot of experience," Ms Ingram said.
"But my main experience is being Aboriginal ... I was surrounded by wonderful people, not only my own family, and particularly all the matriarchal people."
The "jewel in the crown" for her is the establishment of the Wyanga Aboriginal Aged Care program, which supports local Elders.
At 85, and an Elder herself, Ms Ingram remains on the program's board and doubts she'll ever stop working.
An appointment as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to the Indigenous community of NSW in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours List, spurs her on even more.
"If this gives me a voice and a platform that I can keep advocating for us to become a better Australia, that's what I'll do," Ms Ingram said.
In the Torres Strait, Harold Matthew hopes being awarded a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia for service to the Indigenous community of Thursday Island can inspire others.
He co-founded the Torres Strait Island Running Festival and Thursday Island Deadly Runners, but when he became a member of the Indigenous Marathon Project in 2014, he wasn't a fan of long-distance running.
Seeing the physical, mental and spiritual health benefits of running, Mr Matthew was hooked, and he's proud to be bringing his community along for the trip.
"I can see the ripples in the community," he said.
"In the mornings and evenings you always see people out on the island running and walking and I think it's so unreal how far we've taken this."
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been recognised for their contributions in health, community advocacy, education and land rights including inaugural co-chairs of the First People's Assembly of Victoria, Geraldine Atkinson and Marcus Stewart.
Dr Atkinson was appointed an officer (AO) of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the Indigenous community, to education, to First Nations self-determination and to reconciliation, while Mr Stewart was appointed an AM for significant service to Indigenous advocacy.
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Veteran horseman John Kinghorn learnt everything he knows by sitting on the tailgates of trucks listening to old blokes chat. From his grandfather, who once rode a horse 1000km from central-western NSW to Brisbane, he knew to never ride through a river in the afternoon. "If your gear gets wet, you don't get it dry (before) nightfall," Mr Kinghorn told AAP. "Wait until the morning, then you've got all day to dry it out." It was also old blokes who taught him to approach an unfamiliar horse with his hands in his pockets to avoid spooking it, and how to braid the perfect stock rope. His father, a drover from Cudal, a village west of Orange, taught him that a stubborn animal can be handled through observing and listening. "An animal can't talk to you, but it can tell you things," Mr Kinghorn said. "I often say to young riders: 'What's this horse telling you? Nothing? Then you're not listening'." After six decades volunteering in country NSW pony clubs, the 86-year-old reluctantly admits he might just be one of those old blokes passing on pearls of wisdom. Mr Kinghorn was on Sunday announced as the recipient of a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the King's Birthday Honours List, for services to youth through equestrian sports. He competed in showjumping and polocrosse as a young man before working at pony clubs in Orange, Carcoar, Cudal and Sydney, teaching three generations of riders. Children learn responsibility and empathy from caring for horses, Mr Kinghorn said. "If you've got a pushbike and you've finished with it, you put it in the garage and forget about it. "If you've got a horse you can't do that, you've got to look after him. "Most of the young riders I've taught have gone on to be pretty decent people." It is warmth that helps young people learn rather than strict instruction, though some have been initially intimidated by his dry humour. "I always say to them: 'I do have a heart - I know a bloke who has seen it'," Mr Kinghorn said, a joke he came up with after a life-saving surgery about a decade ago. Many regional Australians were recognised in the King's Birthday Honours List for their contributions across science, emergency services, culture, sport, education and the arts. Victorian broadcaster Jim Remedio, a Torres Strait Islander man from Bendigo, was posthumously appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to First Nations media and to the Indigenous community. Former headmaster Christopher Tudor, from Alice Springs, was appointed an AO for distinguished service to education and to people with a disability and their carers. Angela Fredericks, from Biloela in Queensland, was awarded an OAM for her work in refugee advocacy, having co-founded the #HometoBilo campaign to stop the deportation of the local Nadesalingam family. Veteran horseman John Kinghorn learnt everything he knows by sitting on the tailgates of trucks listening to old blokes chat. From his grandfather, who once rode a horse 1000km from central-western NSW to Brisbane, he knew to never ride through a river in the afternoon. "If your gear gets wet, you don't get it dry (before) nightfall," Mr Kinghorn told AAP. "Wait until the morning, then you've got all day to dry it out." It was also old blokes who taught him to approach an unfamiliar horse with his hands in his pockets to avoid spooking it, and how to braid the perfect stock rope. His father, a drover from Cudal, a village west of Orange, taught him that a stubborn animal can be handled through observing and listening. "An animal can't talk to you, but it can tell you things," Mr Kinghorn said. "I often say to young riders: 'What's this horse telling you? Nothing? Then you're not listening'." After six decades volunteering in country NSW pony clubs, the 86-year-old reluctantly admits he might just be one of those old blokes passing on pearls of wisdom. Mr Kinghorn was on Sunday announced as the recipient of a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the King's Birthday Honours List, for services to youth through equestrian sports. He competed in showjumping and polocrosse as a young man before working at pony clubs in Orange, Carcoar, Cudal and Sydney, teaching three generations of riders. Children learn responsibility and empathy from caring for horses, Mr Kinghorn said. "If you've got a pushbike and you've finished with it, you put it in the garage and forget about it. "If you've got a horse you can't do that, you've got to look after him. "Most of the young riders I've taught have gone on to be pretty decent people." It is warmth that helps young people learn rather than strict instruction, though some have been initially intimidated by his dry humour. "I always say to them: 'I do have a heart - I know a bloke who has seen it'," Mr Kinghorn said, a joke he came up with after a life-saving surgery about a decade ago. Many regional Australians were recognised in the King's Birthday Honours List for their contributions across science, emergency services, culture, sport, education and the arts. Victorian broadcaster Jim Remedio, a Torres Strait Islander man from Bendigo, was posthumously appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to First Nations media and to the Indigenous community. Former headmaster Christopher Tudor, from Alice Springs, was appointed an AO for distinguished service to education and to people with a disability and their carers. Angela Fredericks, from Biloela in Queensland, was awarded an OAM for her work in refugee advocacy, having co-founded the #HometoBilo campaign to stop the deportation of the local Nadesalingam family. Veteran horseman John Kinghorn learnt everything he knows by sitting on the tailgates of trucks listening to old blokes chat. From his grandfather, who once rode a horse 1000km from central-western NSW to Brisbane, he knew to never ride through a river in the afternoon. "If your gear gets wet, you don't get it dry (before) nightfall," Mr Kinghorn told AAP. "Wait until the morning, then you've got all day to dry it out." It was also old blokes who taught him to approach an unfamiliar horse with his hands in his pockets to avoid spooking it, and how to braid the perfect stock rope. His father, a drover from Cudal, a village west of Orange, taught him that a stubborn animal can be handled through observing and listening. "An animal can't talk to you, but it can tell you things," Mr Kinghorn said. "I often say to young riders: 'What's this horse telling you? Nothing? Then you're not listening'." After six decades volunteering in country NSW pony clubs, the 86-year-old reluctantly admits he might just be one of those old blokes passing on pearls of wisdom. Mr Kinghorn was on Sunday announced as the recipient of a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the King's Birthday Honours List, for services to youth through equestrian sports. He competed in showjumping and polocrosse as a young man before working at pony clubs in Orange, Carcoar, Cudal and Sydney, teaching three generations of riders. Children learn responsibility and empathy from caring for horses, Mr Kinghorn said. "If you've got a pushbike and you've finished with it, you put it in the garage and forget about it. "If you've got a horse you can't do that, you've got to look after him. "Most of the young riders I've taught have gone on to be pretty decent people." It is warmth that helps young people learn rather than strict instruction, though some have been initially intimidated by his dry humour. "I always say to them: 'I do have a heart - I know a bloke who has seen it'," Mr Kinghorn said, a joke he came up with after a life-saving surgery about a decade ago. Many regional Australians were recognised in the King's Birthday Honours List for their contributions across science, emergency services, culture, sport, education and the arts. Victorian broadcaster Jim Remedio, a Torres Strait Islander man from Bendigo, was posthumously appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to First Nations media and to the Indigenous community. Former headmaster Christopher Tudor, from Alice Springs, was appointed an AO for distinguished service to education and to people with a disability and their carers. Angela Fredericks, from Biloela in Queensland, was awarded an OAM for her work in refugee advocacy, having co-founded the #HometoBilo campaign to stop the deportation of the local Nadesalingam family.
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The horse listener: a life spent teaching kids to ride
Veteran horseman John Kinghorn learnt everything he knows by sitting on the tailgates of trucks listening to old blokes chat. From his grandfather, who once rode a horse 1000km from central-western NSW to Brisbane, he knew to never ride through a river in the afternoon. "If your gear gets wet, you don't get it dry (before) nightfall," Mr Kinghorn told AAP. "Wait until the morning, then you've got all day to dry it out." It was also old blokes who taught him to approach an unfamiliar horse with his hands in his pockets to avoid spooking it, and how to braid the perfect stock rope. His father, a drover from Cudal, a village west of Orange, taught him that a stubborn animal can be handled through observing and listening. "An animal can't talk to you, but it can tell you things," Mr Kinghorn said. "I often say to young riders: 'What's this horse telling you? Nothing? Then you're not listening'." After six decades volunteering in country NSW pony clubs, the 86-year-old reluctantly admits he might just be one of those old blokes passing on pearls of wisdom. Mr Kinghorn was on Sunday announced as the recipient of a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the King's Birthday Honours List, for services to youth through equestrian sports. He competed in showjumping and polocrosse as a young man before working at pony clubs in Orange, Carcoar, Cudal and Sydney, teaching three generations of riders. Children learn responsibility and empathy from caring for horses, Mr Kinghorn said. "If you've got a pushbike and you've finished with it, you put it in the garage and forget about it. "If you've got a horse you can't do that, you've got to look after him. "Most of the young riders I've taught have gone on to be pretty decent people." It is warmth that helps young people learn rather than strict instruction, though some have been initially intimidated by his dry humour. "I always say to them: 'I do have a heart - I know a bloke who has seen it'," Mr Kinghorn said, a joke he came up with after a life-saving surgery about a decade ago. Many regional Australians were recognised in the King's Birthday Honours List for their contributions across science, emergency services, culture, sport, education and the arts. Victorian broadcaster Jim Remedio, a Torres Strait Islander man from Bendigo, was posthumously appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to First Nations media and to the Indigenous community. Former headmaster Christopher Tudor, from Alice Springs, was appointed an AO for distinguished service to education and to people with a disability and their carers. Angela Fredericks, from Biloela in Queensland, was awarded an OAM for her work in refugee advocacy, having co-founded the #HometoBilo campaign to stop the deportation of the local Nadesalingam family.
