King's Birthday Honours

Dr Peter Rischbieth

Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to rural health

Rural generalist Dr Peter Rischbieth has dedicated the past 37 years of his life to serving the Murray Bridge community, delivering care at the Bridge Clinic and the Murray Bridge Soldiers Memorial Hospital.

‘I am very honoured to be recognised for my work in rural South Australia and thank my patients for entrusting me with their care,’ Dr Rischbieth says. 

‘I have been part of a great team of rural doctors, nurses and administration staff at Bridge Clinic, and have been supported by my incredible family who’ve allowed me to pursue my dream of serving a country community and providing primary care, anaesthesia, and obstetric and emergency care.’

During his time as President of the Rural Doctors Association of South Australia (RDASA) Dr Rischbieth worked with AMA SA to negotiate a fairer pay deal for rural GPs and GP registrars. He’s also advocated for improved health services for rural Australians. 

‘I hope more of our medical students will look at rural general practice as a great career choice, and I recognise the increased opportunities doctors in training have to pursue that path.’ Dr Rischbieth says. 
 

Dr Carolyn Lawlor-Smith 

Medal of the Order of Australia for service to medicine and community health

Dr Carolyn Lawlor-Smith has served South Australia as a GP for 42 years. The General Practice she founded in Happy Valley was awarded RACGP Australian General Practice of the year twice. 

As a committee member of Doctors for Assisted Dying Choice she was instrumental in the passage of South Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) laws. She was one of the first doctors to be trained in VAD in South Australia and travels the state to assess patients requesting access to VAD. 

‘I feel privileged to be able to give people with a terminal condition the power to make a choice about their death,’ Dr Lawlor-Smith says.

‘The VAD team works alongside palliative care services to deliver the best outcome for patients.

‘A third of patients choose not to take the VAD medication but feel relieved just knowing that the control is in their hands.’

Dr Lawlor-Smith says she was ‘honoured’ to receive the Medal of the Order of Australia. 

‘As a GP of 42 years my experience of caring for families has brought me here, to the most rewarding point of my professional life.’ 
 

Dr Lawrie Palmer 

Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in palliative medicine

Dr Lawrie Palmer has been a driving force behind the evolution of compassionate, patient-centred end-of-life care in Adelaide’s north. He’s served in various roles at SA Health over the past 36 years, including Director of Emergency Medical Services at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Over the past 25 years, Dr Palmer has focused primarily on palliative medicine. He served as Head of Unit for the Northern Adelaide Palliative Service from 2012 to 2022 and is currently a palliative medicine specialist at Modbury Hospital. 

‘I’ve always been interested in how people live and die, and how we care for them as they approach the end of life,’ Dr Palmer says.

‘But when I was a medical student, there was almost no teaching on palliative care. In Australia, the Chapter of Palliative Medicine within the College of Physicians only formed in 2000.’

Dr Palmer says one of his most significant achievements was leading the amalgamation of Modbury and Lyell McEwin Palliative Care to form Northern Adelaide Palliative Service. 

‘Since combining and expanding our service to serve patients both in hospitals and in the community, we’ve also had a new 20-bed palliative care unit built at Modbury Hospital,’ he says.

‘The role also involves training medical students, junior medical staff, new consultants and all members of the multidisciplinary team. 

‘I’ve always tried to live my working life in line with public service values and to highly value each individual – patients, families, and staff – to provide a supportive environment and the best care.’
 

Dr Paul Dignam 

Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in SA Health as a consultant psychiatrist 

Dr Paul Dignam started his career in adult psychiatry. For the past two decades he’s led a dedicated team of professionals at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Adelaide’s northern suburbs. 

‘I was privileged to spend the last twenty years leading a dedicated CAMHS team in an under-resourced and socially disadvantaged area of Adelaide,’ Dr Dignam says.

‘We tried very hard to ensure our multi-disciplinary team was a genuinely egalitarian one.’

Dr Dignam was nominated for the Public Service Medal by his colleagues and is humble about the honour. 

‘I consider my work and my colleagues’ work part of the “ordinary business” of public sector health: caring casework, teaching, supervision, advocacy and policy development to support those most at risk,’ he says. 

‘My team seemed to think I was extraordinary, and I thank them for that.’