Maureen Doonan has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours in recognition of her services to Ballarat, which includes providing refugees and asylum seekers with accommodation in her home, and teaching them how to drive.
She is a member of Rural Australians for Refugees, Ballarat Refugee and Asylum Seeker Network, is a a founding member of Ballarat Afghan Action Group, and has protested for more than a decade for refugee acceptance.
Refugee advocate strives for change. By Miriam Litwin, Ballarat Times