By Sonia Isaacs
THREE of the Sunshine Coast hinterland’s most respected community contributors have been recognised in the Australia Day 2026 Honours List, with awards spanning heritage conservation, community music and grassroots volunteering.
Governor-General Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC announced the Australia Day 2026 Honours List on Monday, recognising 949 Australians whose service, leadership and dedication have strengthened communities across the nation, including three locals whose work has left a lasting mark across the region.
This year’s list includes more than 200 additional awards compared with last year, reflecting a rise in nominations and broader recognition of Australians who quietly give their time, skills and energy in service of others.
“It is rewarding to see an increase in the number of awards, which reflects more nominations and recognition of the many Australians who inspire the best in all of us,” the Governor-General said.
David Gole
Among those recognised locally is Balmoral Ridge resident David Gole, who has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to architecture and heritage conservation.
A heritage architect whose career spans more than three decades, Mr Gole describes the honour as a “very lovely surprise” and “deeply humbling”, particularly because it recognises work he says he would be doing regardless of accolades.
Trained initially in history before moving into architecture, he has built a vocation around connecting people, stories and place through the conservation and adaptive reuse of significant buildings.
Mr Gole sees heritage architecture as a form of community service, protecting the cultural value of places while allowing them to evolve and remain relevant for future generations.
From grand civic landmarks to modern cultural sites, he believes shared identity is shaped by the places communities inhabit and preserve.
His AM acknowledges not only his professional practice, but also the way he has extended his work beyond commercial projects.
He has mentored young professionals, taught adaptive reuse studios at the University of Queensland, and contributed extensive pro bono service both in Australia and internationally.
Internationally, Mr Gole has worked in Myanmar, where he led a conservation course and later mentored a 25-strong team at the Yangon Heritage Trust on heritage-led urban development.
He has also shared specialist expertise through workshops and conservation projects in Africa.
Now well into his career, Mr Gole says mentoring is a responsibility, a way of repaying the guidance he received early on and supporting the next generation of heritage architects to approach their work with care, curiosity and respect for place.
Margaret Taylor
Also recognised is Maleny resident Margaret Taylor, who has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to community music.
For more than two decades, Margaret has been a cornerstone of Maleny’s cultural life, best known as the founder and driving force behind the Maleny Singers, which she established in 2003 after relocating from Tamworth.
Since then, she has devoted countless volunteer hours to nurturing voices, staging productions and bringing high-quality musical experiences to local audiences.
A professional singer and teacher in both the UK and Australia earlier in her career, Margaret brings high standards to her community work.
She casts shows, prepares and prints music, coaches soloists and patiently rehearses chorus members, many of whom begin believing they “can’t sing” or cannot read music.
Under her guidance, those doubts are transformed into confidence and pride. Margaret believes in doing things properly, often referring to “theatre rules”, and her discipline translates into performances that leave participants feeling capable, connected and proud of what they have achieved together.
She says she is genuinely humbled by the OAM, describing it as something she never expected.
“What I do is what I do, it’s who I am,” she said.
For Margaret, volunteering through music offers profound joy, from the friendships formed in rehearsal rooms to the simple truth that singing is “good for the soul”.
Jim O’Shannessy
Also honoured is Beerwah resident Jim O’Shannessy, who has received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community through a range of roles, particularly with Project Vietnam and the Landsborough Rural Fire Brigade.
A self-described “hands-on person”, Jim joined the Landsborough brigade around 1992, as bushfires increasingly affected the region.
Over more than 30 years of service, he has filled frontline and support roles, remaining a constant presence in the volunteer ranks even as age shifted his focus behind the scenes.
Beyond the local brigade, Jim’s community service has taken him across Southeast Asia.
Through Project Vietnam Incorporated, a Sunshine Coast-founded charity now with around 60 members nationwide, he has undertaken approximately 15 trips to Vietnam, and more recently to Laos and Cambodia.
Working alongside volunteer teams, Jim has helped build and repair medical centres, schools, hospitals and small homes, often spending days constructing simple one-room houses that make an immediate and tangible difference to families’ lives.
He has served as treasurer of the organisation and previously spent five years as president.
Jim said he felt “a bit overwhelmed” by the honour and humbled that his name could be included among so many deserving Australians.
He hopes the recognition will shine a light on the vital role volunteers play, locally and globally.