Music and entertainment figures are generally recognised in Australia’s main awards for their contribution, skills, and quiet charity work. This year’s Australia Day Honours List was no different.

Aside from TEG’s Geoff Jones, all of them were made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). Here are the music names that shone in this year’s list.

BEEB BIRTLES (Little River Band, Zoot Co-Founder)

Honoured under his real name, Gerard Bertelkamp, Beeb Birtles emerged in the late ‘60s, having a run in the charts first with pink uniformed pop-rock band Zoot (1 x 2 x3 x 4 and a hard rock rendition of The Beatles ballad Eleanor Rigby) and soft pop Mississippi (Kings Of The World, Will I).

But it was with Little River Band, which he helped create in Melbourne in 1975, where he hit the jackpot. The band broke America while still based in Australia, selling 30 million copies worldwide.

These included 15 Top 30 albums in Australia, nine Top 20 albums in the US, ten Top 20 singles in Australia, and nine Top 20 singles in the US.

DAVID BRIGGS (Little River Band, guitarist, songwriter, producer)

Best known as guitarist and songwriter with Little River Band (1976-1981), for whom he wrote Lonesome Loser and co-penned Happy Anniversary, Melbourne-based Briggs worked extensively as an engineer and producer.

He worked the knobs behind Australian Crawl’s 4 x platinum debut album The Boys Light Up and went on to produce Russell Morris & The Rubes, No Fixed Address, The Stockings, The Orphans, Skyhooks and Daryl Braithwaite. 

He co-founded Rough Diamond Records with music journalist Ross Gardiner, set up Production Workshop Recording Studio, and served as a lecturer at Victoria University in Applied Acoustic Design and Advanced Digital Audio Mastering.

GEOFF JONES (CEO, TEG Group)

Sydney-based Geoff Jones was given a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for driving the success of TEG Group’s touring, ticketing, digital and data divisions to the heights, and with plans to expand it further to new countries.

Last year, TEG’s success, notably with Fred again.., Laneway and FISHER tours, saw it sell 2,142,238 tickets and a gross of $182,323,363.00, according to Pollstar. That made it the second most successful Australian promoter, after Frontier Touring, and #17 globally.

Interestingly, it wasn’t Jones’ first medal. He got a couple while serving in the defence forces before moving on to run motorsports associations, Ticketek and Nine Network’s entertainment division.

PAUL BEGAUD (Songwriter, Producer)

After writing most of Human Nature’s 4 x platinum debut album Telling Everybody, Sydney-based Paul Begaud went on to write, co-write and/or produce hits for Delta Goodrem, John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, Troy Cassar-Daley, Wynonna Judd, The Honeyz, Selwyn and Felicity Urquhart.

He was subsequently in demand as an A&R consultant by record companies, wrote Dare To Dream as an anthem for the opening of the Sydney Olympics, and wrote music for the Nine and Seven Networks, Qantas, Westfield and NSW Tourism.

IAN STANISTREET (Community Radio Executive / Broadcaster)

In the 1980s, Ian Stanistreet was an arts/law student at Melbourne University, existing on beer and muesli and an avid gig junkie and collector of records when he discovered community radio.

He started out volunteering at PBS, presenting drivetime, jazz and music specials. Two years later, he became its first station manager, and then he took on a similar role at 2MCE-FM.

As community radio expanded from 50 stations to 450 services with over 5 million listeners, Stanistreet served as a Committee Member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and long-time CEO of the Community Broadcasting Foundation, playing a crucial role as the sector grew to become a research, diversity and lobby group.

PAT CONDON (Promoter, TV Executive)

Aside from being responsible for the first Australian visits by Neil Diamond and Billy Joel, Pat Condon went on to tour Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Allen, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed and Simon & Garfunkel.

A champion of disability access and inclusion groups in entertainment, Condon was among the first Australians to break into the Asian markets, touring productions there, and said to have unparalleled direct access to the Chinese Government and worked on productions there.

ALAN GILMOUR (Country Music Broadcaster, Songwriter)

As both broadcaster and songwriter, Alan Gilmour played a significant role in the growth of country music, primarily in Australia.

These included as long-time Vice Chair and Online Content Manager of the Australian Songwriters Association and judge of the Australian Songwriting Contest and Tamworth Song Writing Contest.

He previously won awards for presenting and/or producing syndicated shows such as Australian Country Songwriters Show, Indigenous Country and Binawah, was voted Most Popular DJ in the Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards in 2018 and 2022, and was inducted into the Tamworth Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2022.