Gina Fairfax, Ewen McPhee, Gail Nixon, Sally Edwards Queen's Birthday awardees

Among the 119 people acknowledged by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this week for their outstanding service and inspiring achievements are Gina Fairfax, who was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, and Emerald's Dr Ewen McPhee, a Member of the Order of Australia.

Gail Nixon, a well-known Springsure community member, has received an Order of Australia Medal for her service to the people of the Central Highlands, and Sally Edwards, based in Isisford, has been awarded the Public Service Medal.

Rural Australia in general has benefited greatly from the work undertaken by Mrs Fairfax, who received the highest degree in service to Australia for her leadership roles in charitable organisations, as an advocate for philanthropy, to arts administration, and to regional development.

Together with her husband Tim Fairfax AC, she is a director of Rawbelle Management and a partner in the Strathbogie Pastoral Company, and counts the Flying Arts Alliance and Blackall's Heartland Festival among her patronages.

Their philanthropy is mainly conducted through the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, and Mrs Fairfax is also a founding supporter of the Tackling Tough Times Together program, and is a donor and assessment committee member of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.

She told another media outlet that the guiding principle for her work has been to make sure country areas do not miss out and "not have what people in the city have", particularly regional communities' access to the arts.

"I'm pleased to see Gina Fairfax recognised as one of Australia's greatest philanthropists and charity leaders, whose generosity and advocacy has enriched our regions and encouraged the growth of our unique arts sector," Ms Palaszczuk said.

Incidentally, Ms Fairfax was this week announced as Queensland's Community Philanthropist of the Year.

Making the announcement, the Queensland Community Foundation said that for over 20 years, she had gifted millions of dollars to support charitable causes, volunteered countless hours on for-purpose boards, and delivered Meals on Wheels.

"Gina and Tim Fairfax's personal year-on-year contributions to Brisbane Festival totalling almost $900,000 since 2018 have directly supported the commissioning of new contemporary works and enabled artists to live and thrive in Queensland," the citation read. " As a trustee of the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Gina has overseen the distribution of $54 million since 2008, including substantial contributions to Queensland arts initiatives."

There would be few in Emerald, or Queensland and Australia generally, who do not know Dr Ewen McPhee, who began practising as a doctor in the central Queensland town since 1989.

He began working with the hospital but opened his own practice in 1992. Since then the Emerald Medical Group has evolved into the town's biggest medical practice.

His appointment as a Member of the Order is for significant service to general medicine, to health administration, and to tertiary education, and he is one of six listed on the COVID-19 honour roll for his work through the pandemic.

He has a long list of presidencies and directorships undertaken for the betterment of rural medicine, including as president of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, and president of both the Rural Doctors Association of Australia and Rural Doctors Association of Queensland.

Dr McPhee has worked on eHealth projects, advised on future-proofing the rural and remote medical workforce, chaired a telehealth governance committee, and has been a member of the International Advisory Committee, Rural Working Party, World Organization of Family Doctors, since 2015.

In response to the pandemic he became a clinical lead for the first rural GP-led respiratory clinic in Australia, in 2020.

Gail Nixon counts 31 years of service to local government and the people of the Central Highlands among the work that has led to her receiving an Order of Australia Medal.

"It was very nice to receive but it was for things I've enjoyed doing," she said. "There were always challenges on council, things you'd see that needed to happen."

Road upgrades were her main priority, saying she focused on that because it was vital that primary producers were able to get their product to market.

After serving as a chair and mayor for the Bauhinia Shire Council, she was voted onto the Central Highlands Regional Council and served as deputy mayor between 2012 and 2016.

Health has been another interest for Mrs Nixon, who is still working to bring the Ivy Anderson Aged Care Home into being as the committee chair.

"I'm still involved with the tourist information centre too," she said. "It's good to keep involved in things."

The Longreach Regional Council nominated Isisford branch manager Sally Edwards for a Public Service Medal based on her record of outstanding service to local government and the community of Isisford over 31 years.

She joined the former Isisford Shire Council as a swimming pool supervisor, and has since worked as a casual parks and gardens officer, junior clerk, and senior administration officer, before taking on the pivotal role of branch manager in 2008.

Mayor Tony Rayner said the honour was deserving recognition of Ms Edwards' achievements.

"Sally is a dedicated and conscientious employee, who has achieved an outstanding record of service to the Isisford and Yaraka communities," he said. "She's a respected and popular leader in our organisation, who has contributed to the development of a really positive team culture."

In addition to her local government service role, Ms Edwards is an active participant in most regional community initiatives in Isisford and Yaraka, serving on the Isisford Race Club, Isisford Golf Club, the annual Isisford fishing competition, Isisford Rural Fire Brigade, Yaraka Campdraft Association, and more.

"People have told me that I'm the driver of things at work and in the community, but I don't know if that's true," she said.

"Even if I am the driver, I'm not the only one in the car - there's a whole community on this journey with me and it's because of them that we get things done together.

"I just love our communities, and maybe that shows in my work."

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