The late Eric Lumsden, Jahna Cedar and Christine Simpson Stokes are among 76 prominent Western Australians to be awarded Australia Day honours this year.
The late Eric Lumsden, Jahna Cedar, Christine Simpson Stokes and Adam Voges are among 76 prominent Western Australians to be awarded Australia Day honours this year.
Almost 45 per cent of WA recipients were awarded for their outstanding service or achievement in the community.
Mr Lumsden, the former City of Perth chair of commissioners, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his efforts in public administration and planning.
He was the chair of the Western Australian Planning Commission from 2013 to 2018, the director-general at the Department of Planning from 2007 to 2013, and the City of Melville chief executive from 2006 to 2007.
Prior to that, Mr Lumsden was the City of South Perth commissioner for three years and City of Swan chief executive for 16 years.
In 2018, he was awarded the state's highest accolade in public administration, with a patron award from the Institute of Public Administration Australia WA.
Mr Lumsden also received an outstanding contribution award from the Urban Development Institute of Australia WA in 2018 and a public service medal in 2005 for his contributions to the local government.
He stepped down as City of Perth chair of commissioners on doctors’ advice in August 2019, having served in the role for one year.
Mr Lumsden passed away in December at the age of 71.
Jahna Cedar, the 2017 Business News 40under40 First Amongst Equals, received an Order of Australia medal for her service to WA's indigenous community.
Ms Cedar was recently appointed director at Indigenous Professional Services (IPS) Management Consultants, where she also served as an operations manager for seven months.
Before that she was executive officer and director at Gumala Aboriginal Corporation, from 2013 to 2018.
Ms Cedar has been a member of Curtin University’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee since 2015 and is the present chairperson of the Niapiali Aboriginal Corporation.
She was also the deputy chairperson at Pilbara Aboriginal Corporations and Enterprises for one year.
Perth Scorchers head coach and former WA batsman Adam Voges also received the Order of Australia for his service to cricket.
Mr Voges played 20 Test matches, 31 one day internationals and seven T20 matches for the national team during 2007-2016.
He was named in the International Cricket Council team of the year in 2016 and appointed captain of the Prime Minister's XI in a match against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Mr Voges also played 114 matches between 2002 and 2017 for WA, scoring a total 7,696 runs, and serving as captain during the Sheffield Shield and JLT Cup series from 2012 to 2017.
He also captained the Perth Scorchers during the Big Bash League from 2014 to 2018.
Mr Voges has coached Perth Scorchers and Warriors since 2018 and is also an ambassador for Muscular Dystrophy Western Australia.
Media adviser Christine Stokes, the wife of Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes, was recognised for her service to the community through cultural organisations and appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.
Ms Stokes is a trustee for children's charity Channel 7 Telethon Trust as well as ambassador for young indigenous women’s leadership program ‘Kimberley Girl’, Legacy Australia and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
She has been a board member of the Australia Council for the Arts since 2016.
Building innovator Robert Torrance was also among those recognised, for a contribution to the local construction industry described by Master Builders Association WA executive director John Gelavis as extraordinary.
Mr Gelavis said Mr Torrance was an icon in the building industry, with his expertise focused on piling and underpinning multi-storey construction.
"Under challenging site conditions, Rob pioneered methods to keep Perth's high-rise structures standing strong," Mr Gelavis said.
"He worked on the AMP site, the Swan Brewery redevelopment and many other projects.
"Rob's specialty was in coming up with solutions to difficult situations, such as supporting old buildings including Trinity Church and developing a construction method to build the first boardwalk in WA over a lake in Booragoon with minimal disturbance of the lake bottom.
Mr Torrance's firm, Torrance Constructions, was responsible for building the UWA bookshop in the late 1960s, matching its stonework to the university's famous Winthrop Hall.
