Bourke Shire Council welcomes 2026 Australia Day Ambassador
- thewesternherald
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Bourke Shire Council is proud to announce that Mr Allan Sparkes CV, OAM, VA, FRSN will be the 2026 Australia Day Ambassador for Bourke.
Mr Sparkes is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most decorated citizens.
He is one of only five Australians in the past 50 years to receive the nation’s highest bravery honour, the Cross of Valour, awarded in 1998 for an extraordinary act of heroism.
He later received the Commendation for Brave Conduct for another lifesaving rescue, and in 2017 was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to mental health organisations and the community.
His distinguished list of honours also includes the NSW Police Commissioner’s Valour Award, the Royal Humane Society of NSW Gallegan Award, and he is among only ten Australians to have been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, and King’s Coronation Medal. In 2022, Mr Sparkes was invited to attend the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, taking part in the Chivalry and Gallantry Procession at St James’s Palace. […]
Read more local news in the printed edition of The Western Herald.
To subscribe call (02) 6872 2333 today and receive The Western Herald in your letterbox next week!
Comments