After years of rampaging, rebel pair get recognition

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This was published 13 years ago

After years of rampaging, rebel pair get recognition

By Jessica Mahar

THEY are known for ''making the serious trivial and the trivial serious''. And that's exactly what Greig Pickhaver and John Doyle did when they found out they were to become members of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the media as presenters and entertainers, and as supporters of charitable organisations.

''The great thing is if we're ever on a ship and the captain dies, we take over,'' Doyle says flatly. ''We can take over the captaincy of the vessel and do marriages, and I think we can do baptisms.''

Happy to Share... John Doyle, left, and Greig Pickhaver won't begrudge Roy Slaven and H.G. Nelson a peek at their citations.

Happy to Share... John Doyle, left, and Greig Pickhaver won't begrudge Roy Slaven and H.G. Nelson a peek at their citations.Credit: Steven Siewert

''Wow, have you been Googling all that?'' Pickhaver asks.

''No, I'm making that all up. It's wishful thinking,'' Doyle answers.

Their much-loved alter egos, rampaging Roy Slaven (Doyle) and H.G. Nelson (Pickhaver) will not attach the AM to their names.

''They are very hostile to the idea; Roy thinks it's a crock of rubbish. He thinks anyone who has the pretension to acknowledge that palaver is un-Australian,'' Doyle said.

''However, H.G. would say, while agreeing with Roy, this is a symbol, us getting these things, a symbol of hope for the ordinary and the dud in the community to keep working away unnoticed because eventually, someone will spot you,'' Pickhaver adds.

They are UNICEF ambassadors and Doyle is patron of Autism Spectrum Australia.

''It means that there are a number of people in the community who have deemed that whatever we've been doing for the last 20 or so years is worth something,'' Doyle said.

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''That does mean something - if it does enable us to have a little more heft with the things we're interested in, that's good.''

For Pickhaver, the recognition won't make him want to stop what he does. ''While I'm chuffed, I'm not about to stop things,'' he said.

After all, as Doyle says: ''I don't think it's meant to be a handbrake on your life.''

This year 666 people will receive awards in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, in recognition of their diverse contributions and service to fellow citizens in Australia and internationally.

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In the general division, 474 people will receive honours, and in military, meritorious, gallantry, distinguished and conspicuous divisions, 192 people will be honoured.

Valerie Beral, Steve Bracks, Allan Hawke, Harold Mitchell and Graeme Samuel received the highest honour, named companions of the Order of Australia.

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