Service to co-ops and mutuals recognised in King’s Birthday 2025 Honours List

10 June 2025

Congratulations to these outstanding people on being recognised in the King’s Birthday 2025 Honours List. Your service and achievements shine a light on the co-operative and mutual sector:

Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the general division

• Mrs Dianne Blood, for distinguished service to mechanical engineering through innovation and robotic design, and to diversity and inclusion. Mrs Blood was a General Manager and Director at Manjimup Canning Co-Operative Ltd, from 1972–1974.
• Mr Naguib Kaldas APM, for distinguished service to international and transnational law enforcement, to counter-terrorism leadership, to multiculturalism and to veterans. Mr Kaldas was a Non-Executive Director at Police Bank, from 2020–2023.

Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the general division

• Ms Debra Ellen O’Connor, for significant service to aged health in leadership roles and to the community. Ms O’Connor was a Care Co-operative Secretary at Flemington Child in 1992.
• Ms Marnie Ann Baker, for significant service to the financial and banking sectors. Ms Baker was a Director at Australian Friendly Society, from 2003–2017 and a Director at Australian Retirement Trust since 2025.
• Ms Rebecca Joy McGrath, for significant service to business through leadership roles in compliance, audit and finance. Ms McGrath was a Non-Executive Director at Big Sky Credit Union, from 2009–2011.
• Mr Charles Macek, for significant service to corporate governance, and to the financial services industry. Mr Macek was a Director at Victorian Superannuation (VicSuper), from 1997–2000 and a Member Investment Committee at Unisuper Ltd, from 2003–2019.

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the general division

• Ms Menaka Iyengar, NSW, service to women, and to the community. Ms Iyengar was a Former Board Member at Bower Re-Use and Repair Co-op Ltd and a Volunteer Freelance Newsreader and Podcaster at Radio 2RPH Co-operative Limited since 2022.
• Dr Margaret Mary Niemann, for service to medicine as a general practitioner. Dr Niemann was a General Practitioner at Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-operative Ltd, from 1999–2011.
• Mrs Megan Joan Vuillermin, for service to the community of Corner Inlet. Mrs Vuillermin was a Carer at Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-operative Ltd, from 2016–2018.
• The late Mr David John Whiteman, for service to the retail sector. Mr Whiteman was a Founding Chair from 1991–2005 and a Director, from 2004–2013, and 2015–2023 at Sydney Markets Credit Services Co-operative.
• Mr Kenneth Arthur Clements, for service to local government and to the community of the Mount Barker region. Mr Clements is a Director at Mount Barker Co-operative.
• Mr Walter Villagonzalo, for service to the community of Wyndham. Mr Villagonzalo served as a Founder and President of Canopy Accelerator Co-operative Limited from 2021 and continues to contribute as a Volunteer.
• Mr Barry Julius Solomon, for service to the communities of Geelong. He was a Former Chair at Australian Friendly Society.
• Mr Peter John Crocker, for service to industrial relations, particularly through trade unions. Mr Crocker was a Foundation Member of Ed Credit from the early 1970s and served as Deputy Chair from 1984–2022 until its merger with MECU, where he continued as Deputy Chair from 2002–2005 before becoming Chair of MECU (now Bank Australia) from 2005–2011.
• Ms Wendy Thorpe, for service to the financial sector. Ms Thorpe is a Director since 2019 at People’s Choice Credit Union (now People First Bank).
• The late Dr John Charles Dyson-Berry, for service to medicine as a general practitioner. He was a Visiting General Practitioner at Coomealla Health Aboriginal Corporation, from 1999–2024.