Australia Day Awards

Tim Fairfax AC
Chairman, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation

Tim Fairfax is a Company Director, pastoralist and philanthropist. Tim takes an active leadership role in promoting philanthropy in Australia. He is passionate about supporting rural, remote and regional communities, particularly students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. He has a range of business interests including operating nine rural properties in Queensland and New South Wales involving beef, fine wool and grain.

Tim is Chairman of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation as well as the Director of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, Australian Philanthropic Services and Cambooya Pty Ltd. He is also President of the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation and a board member of the National Gallery of Australia Foundation and National Portrait Gallery Foundation.

Tim was named as a Queensland Great in 2013 and Queensland Senior Australian of the Year in 2016.

Gitie House OAM
President, Toowoomba International Multicultural Society Inc
Gitie is the President of the Toowoomba International Multicultural Society Inc, Chair of the Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival and the International Street Fiesta. She was a member of the Premier’s Regional Community Forum for the Darling Downs and served on the Queensland Multicultural Advisory Council.
In 2017, Gitie was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her services to the community. Gitie was named Multicultural Ambassador for Queensland in 2013 and received many awards including the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom Peacewoman, Young Women's Christian Association 125 Leading Women in Queensland and the United Nations Zonta Woman of the Year.
Gitie’s professional background is in project management in software engineering, and she has also co-authored books on understanding wild birds and their social lives.