Medal of the Order of Australia 2010

For the past thirty years, Berwick resident Pamela Mamouney has been helping build bridges of understanding between the faiths through her work with various interfaith organizations, and other charities. The 74-year-old is now being honoured, ‘‘for service to the community, particularly through the Casey Multi-Faith Network and to the Greater Dandenong area’’ as the 2010 recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Although her resume of interfaith work is impressive enough to make Mamouney an obvious choice for the OAM, she said that the recognition came as a complete surprise. ‘‘When I found out about it I was recovering from a knee operation so I was feeling pretty fragile and burst into tears. I certainly wasn’t expecting it’’, said Mamouney. She remained modest upon learning she was receiving the honour saying, “I’ll be accepting it on behalf of the people who supported and helped me.”

For the past nine years, Mamouney has also been a member of the Interfaith Network of the City of Greater Dandenong, an interfaith organization that brings together the more than 150 diverse faiths and churches in the area. The Interfaith Network of the City of Greater Dandenong recently celebrated its 20^th anniversary last year, and according to Mamouney, it paved the way for all of the other interfaith initiatives in Australia. “It promotes peace, harmony and understanding,” Mamouney said.

Mamouney is a founding member, and vice-president of the Casey Multi-Faith Network, which organizes a variety of interfaith activities in the community. Most notably are tours of diverse places of worship throughout Casey, which have been very successful in helping dissolve common misconceptions about various faiths. ‘‘It’s been eye-opening to see the change in older people in Berwick who perhaps had been a bit nervous about migrants coming in,’’ said Mamouney. She adds, ‘‘They get to question and listen to the imam. Some say afterwards that if only they had known more about the Islamic faith before they wouldn’t have been frightened.” She affirms that the tours are purely about religious education, ‘‘There are no efforts to convert people … the visits are to promote understanding, peace and harmony.’’

In addition to her interfaith work, Mamouney has also been involved with Red Cross Australia for over thirty years. She has been a driving force behid donation collection in Casey, raising about $250,000. “It’s a great amount and the best of it all is that my five children and grandchildren are also involved with the Red Cross,” said Mamouney.

Every year, Australia honours citizens who exhibit extraordinary achievement and service with the Order of Australia. The Order of Australia has four levels; Companion of the Order, Officer of the Order, Member of the Order, and Medal of the Order. Nominations for all four come directly from the community (individuals and groups). Once an individual is nominated, the Honours secretariat at Government House in Canberra conducts further research and contacts referees. A 19-member Council for the Order of Australia then makes its recommendations to the Governot-General. The awards are publicly announced on Australia Day (January 26), and on the Queen’s Birthday public holiday in June.

Website: www.itsanhonour.gov.au