Ken Crispin, appointed member of the Order of Australia combined a legal career culminating in being a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory, and of being a notable Christian author.
During his career as a barrister, he served on both sides of the bar, as a prosecutor and as a defender of high-profile clients, including Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, accused of murder after their child Azaria was taken by a dingo at Uluru.
His The Crown versus Chamberlain 1980 1987 was an early punt on book by the Christian imprint Albatross Books, and became regarded as the most authoritative account of the controversial and prolonged case.
A summary on the National Library site reads: A baby disappears from a tent near Uluru in the sandy desert of central Australia. The Aboriginal trackers say she has been taken by a dingo. But amidst a melange of sinister rumours, suspicion falls on the parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain. There are no eyewitnesses, no body, no confession, no motive – and, apparently, credible evidence of their innocence. Yet the mother is convicted of murder; her husband, of concealing her crime. The case captures the public imagination like no other in Australia’s history, and virtually divides the nation. Two appeals fail, and Lindy spends more than three years in prison before being released pending a royal commission. The convictions are quashed, but more than three decades pass before there is a finding that little Azaria was actually taken by a dingo. Ken Crispin, QC, appeared for the Chamberlains at the royal commission. In The Chamberlain Case, he provides an authoritative account of this saga, against a backdrop of Aboriginal spirituality and the Chamberlains’ own religious beliefs. He examines the case against them at the trial, and the evidence that subsequently emerged – blood, dingoes, clothing, tracks – and he asks disturbing questions. Why were so many people convinced they were guilty? How could our legal system have failed? And could any of us fall victim to a similar miscarriage of justice?”.”
Christian books by Crispin also inclde. A Skeptic’s Guide to Belief, (2019) and Putting Burdens on Broken Shoulders Divorce and Remarriage Are Not Unforgivable Sins (2023)
Robert Dunn has been appointed a member of the Order of Australia for “For significant service to international development, to the not-for-profit sector, and to the community.” He is a former Global Executive Director, of Opportunity International Australia, a christian body focused on poverty alleviation and economic empowerment, but without direct proselytising. Dunn is also on the board of Logosdor, a Christian creative agency, chairs the Mission to seafarers Sydney, and deputy chair of Baptistcare NSW.
Professor Emeritus David Malcolm Findlay, has been appointed a member of the Order of Australia for :For significant service to orthopaedic research, and to the Baptist Church in Australia.” His citation icludes his time as Chair of Deacons and as elder at Knightsbridge Baptist Church in the eastern Suburbs of Adelaide, and as a former chair of manaitha Health an “Australian and Ugandan not-for-profit organisation that is committed to raising health outcomes, empowering the poor and making positive, lasting change in Uganda.”
Reverend Emeritus Professor Phillip John Hughes has been appointed a member of the Order of Australia, for “For significant service to the sociology of religion, to academia, to social cohesion, and to the community.” Hughes was the founder of the Christian Research Association, a former chair of the Lausanne Movement and is Emeritus Professor of Sociology, of Alphacrucis University College. Hughes is an honorary research fellow of the University of Divinity, Edith Cowan University, and formerly at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne.
Hughes has been the Author and Co-Author of 56 books in the sociology of religion, 66 articles, and 28 book chapters. He is co-author with Darren Cronshaw of Baptists in Australia:A Church with a Heritage and a Future. Hughes has been the pastor of both Uniting and Baptist Churches in Victoria.
Dr Shane Sydney Sondergeld, has been appointed a member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to rural and remote medicine, to general practice, and to the community.” This included a great deal of service to St Mark’s Anglican Church, The Gap, including “Youth Leader and Sunday School Teacher, 1975-1983, 2020-2021.” • ” and “Parish Councillor 1977-1979, 2012-2014, 2020-2024.”
Several people were awarded OAMs – Medals of the Order of Australia for services as Church musicians – a selection is below.
One OAM for services to Church was awarded to pastor Noel Schultz for services to Lutheran and Uniting Churches, and his daughter, journalist Julianne Schultz, highlighted his work for women to become pastors in the Lutheran Church of Australia in a profile in The Guardian.
Stuart John Connew has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for “For service to music, and to the church”. he has been director of music, or organist a a list of churches that includes Westbourne Park Uniting Church, South Australia, St Swithuns Anglican Church, New South Wales and St Ives Uniting Church New South Wales.
Robin George Cummins has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for “service to veterans, and to the community.” This includes a number of roles at St Albans Anglican Church Epping, NSW.
Mr Stephen Day has been awarded a Medal of the order of Australia for service to the Anglican Church of Australia. This includes serving as Dean’s Verger, St George’s Cathedral, Perth, since 1992.
Mrs Margaret Leigh Freeman, has been awarded a Medal of the order of Australia for service to the church. St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Weston, ACT, including as an organist and Founder, Neighborhood Fellowship Group,
Image: Ken Crispin Image Credit: Linked In
Westbourne
Thanks Peter