Geoffrey Rush Australian of the Year

Geoffrey Rush  Australian of the Year

Geoffrey Rush has been named Australian of the year - marking his extraordinary 40 year contribution to cinema and the performing arts.

He is pictured above reading the news in Stage Whispers Magazine. ( OK that is a joke)

But we at Stage Whispers salute him and laud the decision to recognise a leader in the performing arts for this honour.

The second Australian of the Year award in 1961 went to Dame Joan Sutherland.

Sir Robert Helpmann followed in 1965.

But since then many more sportsmen and woman have got the gong.

Here is the complete list courtesy of Wikipedia.

More reaction to follow.

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1960 Sir Macfarlane Burnet OM 1899 1985 virologist; 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient
1961 Joan Sutherland CBE 1926 2010 opera singer
1962 Jock Sturrock   1915 1997 yachtsman
1963 Sir John Eccles   1903 1997 neurophysiologist; 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient
1964 Dawn Fraser   1937   swimmer; gold medal winner at 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympic Games
1965 Robert Helpmann CBE 1909 1986 actor; ballet dancer; director
1966 Sir Jack Brabham OBE 1926   racing driver; Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966
1967 The Seekers   N/A   music group
1968 Lionel Rose MBE 1948 2011 boxer; first Aboriginal Australian to win world boxing title (1968)
1969 The Rt. Hon. Lord Casey GCMG CH DSO MC PC 1890 1976 politician, diplomat, Governor-General of Australia (1965–1969)
1970 Cardinal Sir Norman Gilroy KBE 1896 1977 clergyman; first Australian-born Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
1971 Evonne Goolagong   1951   tennis player
1972 Shane Gould   1956   swimmer; winner of three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics.
1973 Patrick White   1912 1990 author; 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature recipient
1974 Sir Bernard Heinze   1894 1982 conductor
1975 (joint recipients) John Cornforth
MAJGEN Alan Stretton

AO CBE
1917
1922
  scientist; 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient
Australian Army officer; managed Cyclone Tracy cleanup
1976 LTCOL Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop CMG OBE 1907 1993 military surgeon; World War II prisoner of war
1977 (joint recipients) Raigh Roe
Sir Murray Tyrrell
CBE
KCVO CBE
1922
1913

1994
president of the Country Women's Association
Official Secretary to six Governors-General
1978 (joint recipients) Alan Bond
Galarrwuy Yunupingu
  1938
1948
  businessman
native title activist
1979 (joint recipients) Neville Bonner
Harry Butler

OBE
1922
1930
1999
 
first Aboriginal elected to the Parliament of Australia
naturalist
1980 Manning Clark AC 1915 1991 historian
1981 Sir John Crawford   1910 1984 economist
1982 Sir Edward Williams KBE KCMG QC 1921 1999 judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland; chairman of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games Foundation
1983 Robert de Castella MBE 1957   marathon runner
1984 Lowitja O'Donoghue CBE 1932   Aboriginal health worker; inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1990–1996)
1985 Paul Hogan   1939   actor
1986 Dick Smith   1944   entrepreneur
1987 John Farnham AO 1949   singer, entertainer
1988 Kay Cottee AO 1954   first female sailor to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world (1988)
1989 Allan Border AO 1955   Australian cricket team captain
1990 Fred Hollows   1921 1993 ophthalmologist; founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation
1991 Peter Hollingworth AC OBE 1935   bishop; Governor-General of Australia (2001–2003)
1992 Mandawuy Yunupingu   1956   singer, Yothu Yindi
1993 No award made: award dating system changed
1994 Ian Kiernan OAM 1940   environmentalist; founder of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World
1995 Arthur Boyd AC OBE 1920 1999 painter
1996 John Yu AM 1934   paediatrician
1997 Peter Doherty AC 1940   veterinarian; immunologist; 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient
1998 Cathy Freeman   1973   athlete; also Young Australian of the Year in 1990
1999 Mark Taylor AO 1964   Australian cricket team captain and air conditioning expert
2000 Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE 1931   biologist
2001 General Peter Cosgrove AC MC 1947   Chief of the Australian Army (2000–2002); leader of the International Force for East Timor; Chief of the Australian Defence Force (2002–2005)
2002 Patrick Rafter   1972   tennis player
2003 Fiona Stanley AC 1946   epidemiologist
2004 Steve Waugh AO 1965   Australian cricket team captain and humanitarian
2005 Fiona Wood AM 1958   plastic surgeon; worked with victims of the 2002 Bali bombings
2006 Ian Frazer   1953   immunologist
2007 Tim Flannery   1956   scientist; global warming activist
2008 Lee Kernaghan OAM 1964   singer
2009 Mick Dodson AM 1950   Indigenous Leader
2010 Patrick McGorry AO 1953   psychiatrist
2011 Simon McKeon   1955   philanthropist businessman
2012 Geoffrey Rush   1951   Australian actor and film producer

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