- WA emergency services personnel recognised in 2026 Australia Day Honours List
- Australian Fire Service Medals and Emergency Services Medals awarded to career and volunteer personnel
Eight Western Australian emergency services specialists have been recognised in the 2026 Australia Day Honours List for their outstanding service to the community.
Career Fire and Rescue Service firefighters from Butler and Malaga stations and a Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) firefighter from Manjimup received the prestigious Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM).
Three State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers with a combined service of more than 95 years and two Surf Life Saving WA team members were awarded the coveted Emergency Services Medal (ESM). The AFSM and ESM medals honour the exceptional service and leadership of emergency services staff and volunteers in the protection of WA communities.
Collectively, the recipients have provided support across a wide range of frontline responses, including firefighting, search and rescue operations, surf lifesaving and natural disasters, with some careers spanning up to 57 years.
Each recipient is a true community hero, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to public safety. Their contributions extend well beyond the frontline, with many playing vital roles in leadership, training and preparedness, helping to keep Western Australians safe now and into the future.
Full citations for each recipient can be found on the Governor-General's website.
As stated by Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia:
"Our State's emergency services family is made up of extraordinary people who are renowned for their selflessness.
"It is wonderful to see eight more Western Australians recognised nationally for their exceptional contributions.
"These prestigious medals are a reward for their commitment and courage to keep communities safe all over our vast State."
Australian Fire Service Medal recipients:
- Mr Daryl Clohessy AFSM:With a career spanning nearly four decades, Daryl has faced tragedy head-on and transformed those experiences into meaningful, practical training initiatives. He has been instrumental in strengthening training programs and modernising equipment to better prepare others for real-world challenges.
- Mr Andrew Lane AFSM:Andrew has served as a frontline firefighter for 26 years and has also contributed internationally in some of the most challenging environments. Through deployments supporting health responses in Samoa, Papua New Guinea and East Timor, as well as firefighting in Canada, he has demonstrated exceptional selflessness and leadership.
- Mr John Jonker AFSM:John has provided an extraordinary 57 years of service to the Manjimup VFRS. He has played a vital role in responding to some of Western Australia's most significant emergencies since he joined in 1968. Beyond his frontline heroics, John's influence extends into innovation and training for the entire volunteer network.
Emergency Services Medal recipients:
- Greg Cook ESM:Joining the SES in 1996, Greg has been at the coalface of major events including Cyclone Yasi in 2011, the South Australian floods of 2016, Tropical Cyclone Seroja and the Fitzroy Crossing floods. As president of the SES Volunteers Association of WA, he has led significant organisational and governance reforms that strengthen volunteering across the State.
- Mr Mark Geary ESM:With an impressive 28 years of serving with the Gosnells SES, Mark has earned widespread acclaim for his ingenuity and level-headedness during highly distressing situations.He has served in a range of support and leadership roles and been deployed across Western Australia and interstate.
- Mr Donald O'Leary ESM:During an outstanding 37 years of service with the SES, Donald has helped thousands of people in distress and provided steadfast leadership to his colleagues. He has responded to flood and vertical rescues, disaster recovery operations and high-risk missing person searches.
- Mr Andrew Matraszek ESM: Andrew has dedicated more than two decades to surf lifesaving, demonstrating exceptional leadership, courage and technical expertise across major rescue and emergency operations.
- Mr David Thomson ESM:As a highly respected patrol member, patrol captain and long-serving team leader with Surf Life Saving WA, David has protected lives along the Western Australian coast for more than 20 years.
