Honoured to be awarded

GREATER Dandenong can lay claim to three Australia Day Honours List recipients.
Associate Professor Bruce Waxman, Jack Ma and Christopher Lawton were among 487 people awarded Medals of the Order of Australia (OAM) on 26 January.
“They elevate the concept of giving to others,” Governor-General Quentin Bryce said.
“They heighten our respect for one another and they encourage Australians to think about the responsibilities of citizenship in our democracy.”
Mr Waxman’s medal is for service to medicine as an administrator, educator and clinician.
He’s been a surgeon with Monash Health since 1987, head of surgery at Dandenong Hospital since 1994, and founded South East Colorectal in Dandenong in 2005.
The surgeon has also directed medical services at South Eastern Private Hospital in Noble Park and The Valley Private Hospital in Mulgrave since last year.
Mr Ma received his medal for service to the Chinese community of Victoria.
He’s a member of the Springvale Chinese Senior Citizens Association, the Hakka Association of Victoria, based in Springvale, and other Chinese associations across the state.
An OAM was awarded to Mr Lawton, from Narre Warren South, for his service to the Sri Lankan community.
He was involved in establishing an aged care facility for the Sri Lankan community in Keysborough in 2009 and has been a member of the Springvale-based Australian-Ceylon Fellowship since 1977.
He’s served as the group’s president, vice president, honorary secretary and chairman of its migration sub-committee, and edited its newsletter.
Mr Lawton is a Ceylon Ex Servicemen’s Association Australia life member and is a member of several other Ceylon and Sri Lankan groups based in the south-east and beyond.
Anyone can nominate any Australian for an award in the Order of Australia.
To nominate someone worthy, visit www.gg.gov.au.