BY JESSICA ROUSE
More than 800 Australians were recognised in the King’s Birthday 2025 Honours List including two well-known Upper Hunter locals.
The Governor-General announced the prestigious list over the June long weekend awarding Order of Australia (General and Military Divisions), meritorious awards and recognition for distinguished and conspicuous service.
“As your Governor-General, I see the values of care, kindness and respect in the many Australians who have been honoured, and in those who have been recognised throughout the fifty-year history of our Australian honours system.
“Every day, and all across the country, Australians are doing extraordinary things with passion, generosity, energy, and resolve,” said Governor-General Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC.
Former long-term resident of Singleton, Dr John Drinan received an Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to the dairy and agriculture industries, to the environment and to the community.
It is more than deserving when you peruse his list of achievements written in his citation for this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. While he was residing in Singleton with his wife Anne, John was part of the Rotary Club of Singleton as well as Rotary International, St Patrick’s Catholic Church, several environment and community groups, held academic positions at the University of Newcastle, Tocal Agricultural College, the University of Western Sydney and the Hawkesbury Agricultural College.
His passion for agriculture and farming runs deep having been a dairy and beef farmer on his property ‘Wahgunyah’ at Glendon Brook in the Upper Hunter Valley, for more than 50 years.
John now resides in Bonny Hills with his wife but certainly hasn’t slowed down.
John told The Hunter River Times that he will always have a love for Hunter but is enjoying his new community at Bonny Hills.
“As you know you need to accept the honour and there is the option of not taking it, at my age you don’t expect this type of honour, I just get about and do what needs to be done, but it came out of the blue and I told my kids to keep an eye on the news,” John told The Hunter River Times.
“It is wonderful and very unexpected honour, I miss the Hunter Valley and the Glendonbrook community but I am now involved with Rotary here and the Bonny Hills Progress Association and I am loving this community and the local environment but you can never take the Hunter out of me,” John said.
Also recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours is beloved media personality Phillip Adams with a Companion of the Order of Australia for his eminent service to broadcast media, to journalist, to the arts, to cultural leadership, and to the community.
Phillip is currently still a weekly columnist for The Weekend Australian and was the host of Late Night Live on ABC Radio National from 1991 to 2024.
He is no stranger to accolades having also received the Officer of the Order of Australia in 1992 as well as a list of other incredible honours including a National Living Treasurer by the National Trust of Australia in 1998.
Phillip resides in Gundy with his wife Patricia Newell, a very accomplished writer and farmer in her own right.
