Two Fred Hollows Foundation members, including a filmmaker who produced a documentary on Fred Hollows, and a professor who specialises in the structure and immunology of the eye have been recognised in the 2023 Australia Day Honours.
Ms Katrina Fanning, a Fred Hollows Foundation board member since 2019, was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for her distinguished service to the Indigenous community through education and health initiatives, and to sport.
Long-time foundation member and decorated filmmaker Ms Patricia Fiske was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to the film industry.
Monash University Emeritus Professor Paul McMenamin was awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia.
Fiske, who has been making documentaries for more than 50 years, produced For All the World to See, a portrait of Professor Fred Hollows in 1993.
“We are delighted to see Katrina and Pat receive recognition for the trailblazing work they have each achieved in their fields,” Fred Hollows Foundation CEO Ian Wishart said.
“Katrina has been a valued member of our board for more than three years and has a huge list of accomplishments, including being named the ACT Australian of the Year in 2020.
“She is a strong voice for First Nations Australians and works tirelessly to make a difference to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” he said.
“We are also thrilled to see the recognition for our long-time Foundation friend Pat, who has supported Fred’s work since day one and did so much to raise awareness of his work in the early days.”
Fanning, a Wiradjuri woman, is the director of Coolamon Advisors, an Indigenous consulting firm and has previously held many senior government roles. Before joining the foundation, she was a successful rugby league player and represented the Australian Jillaroos 26 times over 14 years.
As a prominent member of Australia’s independent filmmaking community, Fiske has produced a number of award-winning documentaries including Business Behind Bars, a two-part series which won a 2001 Walkley Award.
In 2001 she was awarded the prestigious Stanley Hawes Award for her outstanding contribution to the documentary industry in Australia.
McMenamin, who heads the Ocular Immunology group in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Monash, has been an Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the Lions Eye Institute since 2010.
He is widely published and has been the recipient of more than 40 competitive grants from research institutions and numerous awards for excellence. He presented the Ida Mann Lecture at the RANZCO Congress in 2007.
More reading
2022: Eye surgeons recognised in Australia Day Honours
2021: Eyecare professionals recognised in Australia Day Honours
