Australia Day celebrations are off to a raging start – shots have definitely been ordered – now that publishing icon, paper giant and award-winning Asher Keddie impersonator, Ita Buttrose, 71, has been named The 2013 Australian of The Year.
Australia’s foremost editrix was presented with the prestigious honorific by Prime Minister Julia Gillard at a ceremony held in front of Parliament House earlier this evening in honour of her sustained activism and demolition of glass ceilings everywhere. Buttrose, the tenth woman to win the award in its 53-year history, is the National President of Alzheimer’s Australia, founding editor of Cleo, has edited almost every Australian publication, and is the Vice President Emeritus of Arthritis Australia.
Ita also continues to use her considerable public profile to boost awareness of social and health issues, including breast cancer, macular degeneration, HIV/AIDS, prostate cancer and the under-valued name ‘Ita.’
Octagenarian Emeritus Professor Ian Maddocks was named Senior Australian of the Year for his specialist work in both palliative care, disease and conflict prevention.
Twenty-five year old triple threat, Afghani refugee and university student (triple-majoring in arts, law and science), Akram Azimi, was named Junior Australian of the Year for his work as a mentor to marginalised indigenous youths in remote Western Australian communities, and Aboriginal rights advocate Shane Phillips was awarded Australia’s Local Hero Award for his work in the Redfern Aboriginal community; particularly in areas like juvenile justice, relations between police and youths and preventing deaths in custody.
X-Factor Australia winner, Samantha Jade, sung the national anthem and by all accounts the Prime Minister’s Cavoodle still stole the show #smh #aoty
Congratulations, Australia.
Photo by Pamela Martin via Getty
