A husband and wife pairing have been recognised with a King's Birthday medal after almost 35 years working together as doctors in New England.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
Warialda doctors Clem Gordon and Di Coote were presented with Medals of the Order of Australia (OAM) as part of the 2023 King's Birthday Honours List.
Both Dr Gordon and Dr Coote received their medals for "service to medicine", and Dr Gordon for "service to the community" as well.
The pair were joint recipients of the Rural Doctor of the Year award from the Rural Doctor's Network in 2007 and shared Citizen of the Year honours from Gwydir Shire Council in 2010.
"We were both very humbled and honoured by it all," Dr Coote said. "This is probably the icing on the cake for us."
Since 1989, they have been working at the Warialda Family Practice as general practitioners.
"We never really had a plan, we'd moved six times in eight years around Queensland before arriving here," Dr Coote said.
The pair are a big part of the community and hope to raise more awareness of pressure on rural and remote GPs struggling to find qualified doctors to take their place.
Dr Coote, 68, and Dr Gordon, 69, have six of their 11 grandchildren living locally, while one of their four children, Lizzie, is now working with them as a GP.
They work long hours treating patients at their surgery, at a nursing home and at the local hospital.
They have to hire a locum to get a day off and often work at night and on weekends.
"When we first came here, I could finish at 6pm, go for a swim and still have time to do things at home with the kids," Dr Coote said.
"Now I'm in the surgery until 9pm most nights and on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon to catch up."
Both have also been part of numerous sporting clubs in Warialda where they have held executive roles.
They have stayed on as doctors in recent years as Warialda feels the effects of a national GP shortage.
"We were going to retire at 65, but there are no doctors here, so if we left Warialda they would be left with no medical cover," Dr Gordon said.
A Moree solicitor has been recognised for his humanitarian work overseas and on the local front with Indigenous groups.
Moree resident Roger Butler was named as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). He was inducted as an AM "for significant service to the community through charitable and volunteer organisations".
The 82-year-old is still a practising solicitor and has been part of several charitable and volunteer organisations since moving to the region in 1966.
"It doesn't matter how humble you are, you can't help but be chuffed when your peers rate you highly enough to nominate you," Mr Butler said of his AM.
"If you're going to be part of a community, you need to contribute to it.
"If you want for the government to do everything, it will never be done to the same standard that a committed group of volunteers can do."
He is currently the president of the Moree RSL sub-branch and has been the chairman of the Moree Anzac Day organising committee since 2010. He is also the honorary solicitor with the Aboriginal Employment Strategy which now has over offices around the country.
"The AES has done wonderful things in helping people be gainfully employed and improve themselves," Mr Butler said.
Meanwhile, Linda Riley has been honoured with an Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM). The AFSM recognises distinguished service. Ms Riley is the senior deputy captain at the Mungindi Rural Fire Brigade.
