Dr Susan Elizabeth Davis was surprised and appreciative to be recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours List for her service to education and to the performing and regional arts and humbled, saying there were a lot of other people deserving of recognition.
Dr Davis was one of two Noosa recipients of an Order of Australia Day Medal this Australia Day.
Former Australian and Brothers Rugby Union player and former Member for Sherwood, David Dunworth, who now lives in Peregian Beach, was awarded an OAM for service to rugby union.
Dr Davis is an Adjunct Associate Professor and former Deputy Dean Research for the School of Education and the Arts at CQ University.
She is passionate about the transformational power of the arts and creativity for enhanced learning across formal and community learning contexts.
A lot of her work has been in a regional context and a large focus for her has been the power of the arts to give people a voice, a place to belong, something she discovered early in her own life.
“I grew up in Caboolture. My family was good at sport,“ she said. When a local church group put on a Christmas pantomime she took part.
“It was something I could be good at and I enjoyed it,“ she said.
“It’s about caring about things, finding something you can be committed to and helping others.
“Through education and the arts, I was able to find my way through life. I found different pathways of enjoyment, solace, at times, and satisfaction. I enjoy the opportunity to share that with others.“
Her career spans experience as a secondary drama teacher, Performing Head of Department, Senior Policy Officer and more recently as a lecturer in primary and early childhood teacher education programs. Dr Davis has been actively involved in various state and national curriculum development projects, Queensland Drama State Panel and Arts Advisory committee and in Drama Queensland/Drama Australia for more than 25 years.
While her research has focused on drama, engagement, digital technologies, sustainability and scriptwriting her practice has been in developing performances and workshops with schools, for arts-based community projects and events.
Her projects include the international Water-Reckoning Rolling Role project and learning program The Open Storybox which first trialled with Sydney Theatre Company in 2014 and with Patch Theatre Company 2015-16.
In 2007 she was a founding member of the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance established in response to an unmet need in the community. The project initially received only 12 months funding but was continued and is now recognised as the peak arts and industry group on the Sunshine Coast.
Her recent project Wild/flower Women was born out of work with the Noosa Biosphere and other community groups.
Providing an opportunity for locals and visitors to learn from others, the project involves exhibitions, workshops with visiting artists and wildflower walks, where participants can discover more about the local flowers that are taken for granted.
“We tell stories about people and places while taking people for a walk in a nice location,“ she said.
“It’s already creating a wider area of interests.“
Dr Davis has authored and co-authored numerous peer review articles, book chapters and several books, received a number of awards including the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Research and is a regular presenter at national and international conferences.
David Dunworth
OAM recipient David Dunworth has had a long association with rugby union in Queensland. He began playing with Brothers Rugby Union Club in Brisbane in 1965 and continued for the next decade.
During that time he represented both Queensland and Australia. He moved on to Queensland Country Rugby Union in 1977 where he was both a player and team captain as well as a coach from 1977-1979.
After a decade in the 1980s in the real estate business, Mr Dunworth entered state government politics as the Member for Sherwood from 1990-1992. Mr Dunworth then took up several roles with Brothers Rugby Union Club, including president and chairman from 1995-1998. He was a member of the Team of the Century in 2001 and was awarded life membership in 2008. In 2000 Mr Dunworth was recogised with an Australian Sports Medal.
