Congratulations to Judith Kennedy on becoming a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for her service to the winemaking industry.
Kennedy founded the Association of Australian Boutique Winemakers in 1996 and has managed its activities as CEO ever since.
The Association has had an enormous impact on the growth and success of the boutique wine industry in Australia and more recently in New Zealand.
Kennedy’s passionate approach forged the foundation of the Six Nations Wine Challenge in 2003, which enabled Australian wineries of all sizes to stand proudly against their New World peers.
From 2005, Kennedy also spent six years as a non executive Director for the Oncology Children’s Foundation where she influenced the expansion of research aimed at childhood cancers.
Kennedy AM remains a strong and leading force in the wine industry today and continues to plan ahead towards more growth for the Association.
The appointment was made by His Excellency, Governor General, the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC in his capacity as Chancellor of the Order of Australia.
Five were women appointed Companions of the Order of Australia, including the nation’s first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, and Anna Bligh.
Victoria’s Governor, Linda Dessau, Tasmania’s Governor, Kate Warner, and Flinders University professor of ophthalmology, Keryn Williams, also received the highest honour in the Order of Australia.
A total of 16 women were appointed Officers of the Order of Australia, including gun control campaigner Rebecca Peters, historian Carol Liston and medical researcher Gwendolyn Gilbert.
However, women were generally under-represented in yesterday’s honours.
Figures provided by the office of Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove show 651 men were nominated for the general division of the Order of Australia awards, compared with 320 women.
The Honours List recognised 475 men and just 252 women.
