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| Catherine McGregor says Australian of the Year nomination raises 'trans visibility' | Catherine McGregor says Australian of the Year nomination raises 'trans visibility' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| When Catherine McGregor, the world’s most senior transgender military officer, says she’s just happy to be nominated for Australian of the Year, she means it. | When Catherine McGregor, the world’s most senior transgender military officer, says she’s just happy to be nominated for Australian of the Year, she means it. |
| Related: World's most senior transgender military officer says she was surprised by sexism | Related: World's most senior transgender military officer says she was surprised by sexism |
| Not simply for the honour of being recognised as a leading advocate for the country’s transgender community. | Not simply for the honour of being recognised as a leading advocate for the country’s transgender community. |
| But because four years earlier, on 25 January 2012, she had planned to die. | But because four years earlier, on 25 January 2012, she had planned to die. |
| “I was at Adelaide Oval and by the most slender thread, I didn’t go back to my hotel room and end my life,” the Toowoomba-born nominee said. | “I was at Adelaide Oval and by the most slender thread, I didn’t go back to my hotel room and end my life,” the Toowoomba-born nominee said. |
| She had spent decades living as Malcolm McGregor – an army Lieutenant Colonel with three East Timor operations under his belt. | She had spent decades living as Malcolm McGregor – an army Lieutenant Colonel with three East Timor operations under his belt. |
| Malcolm was respected, successful and happily married. But living as a man, McGregor told Guardian Australia last year, had made her feel like an “out-of-tune orchestra”. | Malcolm was respected, successful and happily married. But living as a man, McGregor told Guardian Australia last year, had made her feel like an “out-of-tune orchestra”. |
| “Now I look back on my hypermasculine period – doing all the tough-guy stuff – and realise that was role play,” the 59-year-old explained. | “Now I look back on my hypermasculine period – doing all the tough-guy stuff – and realise that was role play,” the 59-year-old explained. |
| It was a role she eventually abandoned in 2012 to start the psychologically, physically and hormonally arduous process of transitioning to a woman. | It was a role she eventually abandoned in 2012 to start the psychologically, physically and hormonally arduous process of transitioning to a woman. |
| But what followed was a “blissful” realisation of her true feminine identity, the well-known cricket commentator said. | But what followed was a “blissful” realisation of her true feminine identity, the well-known cricket commentator said. |
| Becoming Catherine marked a new chapter in an already compelling story – one that’s brought National Press Club addresses and now the Queensland nomination for Australian of the Year. | Becoming Catherine marked a new chapter in an already compelling story – one that’s brought National Press Club addresses and now the Queensland nomination for Australian of the Year. |
| McGregor said she is keenly aware of the nomination’s importance to enhancing “trans visibility” at a time when cultural touchstones like Caitlyn Jenner and The Danish Girl are raising awareness about gender dysphoria. | McGregor said she is keenly aware of the nomination’s importance to enhancing “trans visibility” at a time when cultural touchstones like Caitlyn Jenner and The Danish Girl are raising awareness about gender dysphoria. |
| Related: Transgender officer says Tony Abbott deserves more credit for supporting her | Related: Transgender officer says Tony Abbott deserves more credit for supporting her |
| “If I’m successful, I’m going to get a campaign going,” she pledged. | “If I’m successful, I’m going to get a campaign going,” she pledged. |
| South Australian burns surgeon John Greenwood has been nominated in recognition of his development of innovative skin substitute products. | |
| His fledgling Royal Adelaide hospital mobile burns unit was one of the key responders after the Bali bombings. | |
| “That was a bit of a torrid time but it sort of threw burns injuries into the public eye and made it more important for a while,” he said. | |
| “Because of the charitable donations that came in after Bali and the profile that burns injuries received ... I managed to achieve all of my goals for 10 years in about six months.” | |
| His solution involves an expandable synthetic seal which is inserted into the wounds left when a burn is removed, acting as a platform for composite skin grown in the laboratory. | |
| The support allowed Dr Greenwood to focus attention on a pressing dilemma - how to provide quality but affordable treatment for patients with life-threatening burns. | |
| Barrister Julian McMahon, who fought tirelessly to try and save the lives of Bali Nine members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, is Victoria’s nomination for Australian of the Year. | |
| A fierce opponent of the death penalty and a defender of human rights, he has worked to save the lives of Australians facing the death penalty overseas for the past 13 years, since he represented Van Tuong Nguyen in Singapore in 2002. | |
| He studied law in Melbourne and first decided he wanted to become a lawyer while in secondary school in Sydney. | |
| “As a teenager I definitely developed an interest in law watching Rumpole of the Bailey,” McMahon said. | |
| He said the long, drawn-out death penalty cases do take their toll but he just has to “get on with it”. | |
| “I would say that lots of people have difficult or demanding jobs and lives, but what I do is nothing compared to lifetime carers of people suffering serious disabilities,” he said. | |
| “I just feel embarrassed when people say ‘you’re so amazing’, when the fact is I’m doing my work the best I can and it’s not as hard as what a lot of people have to do.” | |
| Tasmania’s nominee, conservationist Jane Hutchinson, is head of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, an non-government organisation which is one of the state’s largest private landowners. | |
| It buys land on which it will place a conservation covenant, before selling. “We wanted to create a new way of achieving nature conservation,” Hutchinson said. | |
| As a lawyer she was initially recruited to draft a constitution for the TLC and has remained deeply involved ever since, including helping facilitate the legal acquisition of land returned to the Aboriginal community. | |
| The TLC is also involved with the agricultural stewardship. “It meant that farmers could put nature on their balance sheet for the first time,” Hutchinson said. | |
| It was work from which every Australian would benefit, she added. “We are totally surrounded by nature and part of Australia’s identity is nature.” | |
| Finalists for Australian of the Year | Finalists for Australian of the Year |
| NSW - Elizabeth BroderickQLD - Catherine McGregorVIC - Julian McMahonWA - Anne CareySA - Dr John GreenwoodTAS - Jane HutchinsonACT - David MorrisonNT - Will MacGregor | NSW - Elizabeth BroderickQLD - Catherine McGregorVIC - Julian McMahonWA - Anne CareySA - Dr John GreenwoodTAS - Jane HutchinsonACT - David MorrisonNT - Will MacGregor |
| Senior Australian of the year | Senior Australian of the year |
| NSW - Gordian FuldeQLD - Tim FairfaxVIC - Jack CharlesWA - Graham EdwardsSA - Monica OliphantTAS - Professor Ian AllisonACT - Professor Greg TegartNT - Bob Shewring | NSW - Gordian FuldeQLD - Tim FairfaxVIC - Jack CharlesWA - Graham EdwardsSA - Monica OliphantTAS - Professor Ian AllisonACT - Professor Greg TegartNT - Bob Shewring |
| Young Australian of the Year | Young Australian of the Year |
| NSW - Melissa Abu-GazalehQLD - Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett.VIC - Robert GilliesWA - Catherine HughesSA - Arman AbrahimzadehTAS - Zac LockhartACT - Nipuni WijewickremaNT - Benjamin Masters | NSW - Melissa Abu-GazalehQLD - Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett.VIC - Robert GilliesWA - Catherine HughesSA - Arman AbrahimzadehTAS - Zac LockhartACT - Nipuni WijewickremaNT - Benjamin Masters |
| • For support and information about suicide prevention, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 | • For support and information about suicide prevention, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 |