Deborah Conway Made Order of Australia 2020

Today I received my Member of The Order of Australia (AM) from Governor Linda Dessau in a formal ceremony at Government House along with eleven other citizens being honoured and all our guests. The insignia is a heavy medallion of gold, beautiful & serious. The Investiture was originally scheduled for March but like everything else this year the ceremony too became another casualty of the strange melting of days into one another where nothing happens that isn’t essential and every day is like the one before. But today all that was history, the sun shone, the gardens were lush and we all greeted each other in our dressed up best, blinking into the glory of a Melbourne early summer morning. Ushered into the blue ballroom in Government House where our photos were taken and then because of COVID, we each (with our families) had a private audience to receive our honour. Willy placed the medal on my lapel, we all had a chat with our warm and personable Governor, who wished us Mazel Tov for our wedding anniversary today; and then it was done. I haven’t been able to stop smiling all day, I had no idea it would make me this happy! (With unending gratitude to LJ Young) All the pomp is fun but beyond that, it is just so remarkable to be out celebrating with family, fizz and no masks to hide our broad smiles.