MERIMBULA resident Mr Ron Finneran has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in Queen's Birthday honours list for his service to sport for people with disabilities.
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Mr Finneran's list of achievements is an extensive one as he has made history both as an administrator and competitor in disabled winter sports.
As a competitor, his career dates back to 1976 when he was the first to represent Australia in the first winter Paralympic Games in Sweden.
He was also chef-de-mission of the winter paralympic team at five Paralympic Games which meant he was responsible for the travel, accommodation and sporting requirements for the entire Australian team.
As an administrator, Mr Finneran has spent the past 25 years in various professional and voluntary roles in sport for athletes with disabilities.
He is a former president of the Australian Paralympic Committee and former vice-president of the International Paralympic Alpine Technical Committee.
As chair of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games bid committee he led to push to have the Year 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney.
Since then he has won numerous awards including an Australian sport medal, Australian paralympic medal and an award of distinction from the Confederation of Australian Sport.
He is currently the national executive director of the voluntary organisation he founded -Disabled WinterSport Australia - an organisation that seeks to encourage people with disabilities to participate in all aspects of snow sports.
He is also a life member of the Northcott Society and was an Australia Day ambassador from 1995 to 2000.
"To have had just a small part in profiling the abilities of people with disabilities, be it in recreational activities to the very elite in paralympic sport, has been an enormously rewarding experience," Mr Finneran said.
