At least four members of the cricketing community have been awarded medals in the 2005 Australia Day Honours List.
Keith Miller has posthumously been awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) “For service to sport, particularly to cricket as a player, journalist and commentator.” He had previously been named an MBE before British awards ceased to be given to Australians in the 1970s.
Mark Waugh has also been named an AM “For service to cricket as a player and to the community.”
Rita Artis, who is a long-standing scorer for the SACA at the Adelaide Oval, is awarded an OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) “For service to sport, particularly cricket administration as an official scorer, and to the community.”
Gordon Schwartz, who wrote about a range of sports for the Adelaide daily “The Advertiser”, including cricket, receives an OAM “For service to journalism and sport in South Australia.”
There are four main categories to the Order of Australia, the highest, the AC (Companion) is roughly the equivalent of a knighthood, and has only been awarded to one cricketer – Donald George Bradman.
Congratulations to all the 2005 Australia Day honourees. The official website for the Honours list has the rather corny title of itsanhonour.gov.au