There are Australians who have played a critical role in safeguarding the nation from some of the biggest threats faced by the world today, from bushfires to climate change to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Others have devoted their lives to helping people who have travelled here from distant lands in search of a better life.
Some will not stop until they have achieved equality and independence for Indigenous Australians, and others are committed to improving the lives of senior citizens.
While some have operated from boardrooms to keep the wheels of the economy turning, many are unsung heroes who would give the shirts off their backs to help those in need.
This Australia Day, 1,040 people are receiving the country's highest honours, including appointments to the Order of Australia, meritorious awards and distinguished and conspicuous awards.
Of the 732 appointments in the general division of the Order of Australia, 47 per cent are women – the highest-ever percentage — while 45 per cent are for service to local communities.
Here are the stories of eight outstanding Australians being honoured this year.
Maggie Beer AO
Australians have grown up watching Maggie Beer cooking on television but she has brought so much more to our way of life than delicious food.
The culinary icon is well known for her service to the tourism and hospitality industries but she is also passionate about improving the lives of seniors, who she says must not be forgotten.
After becoming the Senior Australian of the Year in 2010, Beer said it was a "natural progression" for her to help improve aged care residents' quality of life through food.
"For me, food is so important to wellbeing … it is not enough just to have nutrition; you must have the pleasure and it is part of the joy of life," she said.
"If you are in aged care, you should have something to look forward to, and we really have a responsibility to do things better."
She said receiving the honour was what "dreams are made of" and she was still "pinching herself".
"You never set out to seek awards and when they come you are bowled over," she said.
"There was never a plan, it was just doing what you loved and making the most of ideas, an idea a day."
Shane Fitzsimmons AO
When it seemed the entire country was ablaze during the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires, Australians were reassured by the calm and steady leadership of then-NSW fire commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.
Coordinating a statewide response of mostly volunteers through one of the nation's worst fire seasons, he quickly became the authority people turned to for guidance through a terrifying time.
While "humbled" by the Australia Day recognition, Mr Fitzsimmons said it was "somewhat bittersweet" in light of the "extraordinary" events of the 2019-2020 season.
"In accepting this extraordinary accolade yes, I'm a proud Australian, but I was in awe of the remarkable effort led by our volunteers through what was an unprecedented fire season," he said.
"And I pay tribute very much to all those who fought the fight and all those who suffered so much damage and destruction, loss and tragedy … and they will always be on my mind.
"I will be forever indebted and inspired by the way we came together in our darkest of times and if ever we're looking for hope or inspiration, we just reflect on that fire season and reflect on the extraordinary events that have come thereafter and seen the way that we as people, as citizens of New South Wales, as Australians, pull together and look out for each other."
In his role as Commissioner of Resilience in NSW, he continues to maintain close contact with communities that are still rebuilding following the fires' devastating impact.
Dewani Bakkum AM
Canberra woman Dewani Bakkum has led Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services Australia for more than decade, assisting displaced families from countries including Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan to settle and thrive in Australia.
Ms Bakkum, who migrated to Australia from Fiji 40 years ago, has dedicated her life to helping migrants and refugees fully participate in their new communities.
But the CEO and mother said it would have been impossible to achieve what she had without the support of her family, colleagues and the community.
"At the end of the day, without my family's help, I wouldn't be doing this kind of work," she said.
"It is the holistic approach as I mentioned, and that involves all different stakeholders, that they are willing to work with us to achieve this outcome."
She said she was "shocked" to receive the recognition.
"All my life, I believed I was just trying to put my head down and try to make sure the disadvantaged are assisted," she said.
"I never thought this was going to come my way and I am so honoured and really thankful for this, but this job can't be done by yourself."
Mollie O'Callaghan OAM
Mollie O'Callaghan was the youngest member on the Australian swimming squad for the Tokyo Olympics. Now she is also the youngest Australia Day 2022 honours recipient.
The 17-year-old was a gold medallist in both the 4x100m medley and freestyle relays as a heat swimmer, and also part of the bronze medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay team.
She said winning the medals felt "pretty special and quite weird".
"And then it kind of hit me after the Olympics, but I tried not to focus on it too much so I could just focus on my swimming and what I can do next," she said.
She admitted she did not really know what the Australia Day honours involved at first, but said it was "exciting" to cap off a big year.
"The feeling of being recognised … it rewards all the hard work I have done over time to get where I am," she said.
Alan Finkel AC
Alan Finkel never had a life plan and thought he would be doing engineering for the rest of his life because that is what he did at university.
Fast-forward 50 years and he is now at the forefront of safeguarding Australians from two of the biggest threats the world is facing: COVID-19 and climate change.
As Australia's chief scientist from 2016 to 2020, Dr Finkel was handed a crucial task when the pandemic hit: ensuring the country had enough ICU ventilators.
He also led a national review of COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and outbreak management, which has been an integral part of Australia's pandemic response.
Wearing his other hat as special adviser to the Australian government on low-emissions technology, he is spearheading the country's movement away from high-emissions industries.
He is one of just seven Australians appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia.
When asked what drove him, Dr Finkel said he thought of life being split into three trimesters, with the first centring on education and the second on family and career.
"The third trimester is about giving back to the community and that's the phase I'm in, I enjoy doing things for the greater good," he said.
"But I am a geek, I enjoy … being able to look at the application of low-emissions technology for a greater good, which is to reduce emissions and therefore global warming and therefore reduce the ravages of climate change, which is very satisfying," he said.
Vicki O'Donnell OAM
After spending years working in health, Vicki O'Donnell was determined to do something about chronic disease among Indigenous people in the Kimberley.
Ms O'Donnell has been the CEO of the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service (KAMS) for just over seven years. She headed up the Derby Aboriginal Health Service for 12 years prior to that.
A key part of her role is providing advocacy and support to members to ensure the sector has a stronger voice at the state and Commonwealth level.
"I think we have to [advocate] because if we are fragmented they pick us off, and I think if we are united — and the Kimberley and our member services are pretty united — when we speak, we speak with one voice," she said.
She is also the chair of the Aboriginal Health Council of WA, which is the state body that represents the Aboriginal medical services across Western Australia.
"So we've been able to have a seat at the table and be able to advocate for our people to be able to protect communities and towns," she said.
She said it meant a lot to see so many Indigenous Australians receiving Australia Day honours.
"We're not ones to put ourselves out there for awards so it's certainly really humbling to be recognised," she said.
"When I got the email, I thought it was one of those scam emails.
"That was my first reaction and then it sunk in and then I felt really humble."
John Church AO
Through years of painstaking research, climate scientist John Church has proven sea levels are rising at an increasing rate.
One of his biggest achievements has been linking tidal gauge information with satellite data to develop a time series of global sea levels stretching back to the 19th century.
Formerly with the CSIRO, he is now heavily involved in steering research at the international level through the World Climate Research Programme and he is a professor at the Climate Change Research Centre of UNSW.
He had one simple message for Australians: "Unless we take very significant … and sustained mitigation efforts, we will commit the world to metres of sea-level rise over hundreds of years and that will impact hundreds of millions of people who will have to move," Professor Church said.
"So the urgency of responding to the climate change challenge is my main message.
"I'm somewhat disappointed that international governments are not acting much more conservatively and I'm very disappointed that the Australian government has basically dropped the ball."
Professor Church called on the government to set short-term targets, which should be "well above where they are now".
"A 60 per cent reduction [in emissions] by 2030 would be a great goal for them to go to, and they need to have realistic plans on how they're going to do that [because] at the moment we don't have that."
Bakamumu Marika AM
Indigenous leader Bakamumu Marika has devoted his life to fighting for his community on the Gove Peninsula, in North East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
As the chair of the Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation, he works tirelessly to ensure royalties from bauxite mining operations are passed onto the traditional custodians of the land.
He said he wanted to make sure the community was financially self-sufficient by investing in infrastructure, health and cultural programs that would benefit future generations.
"What we are doing right now is to create wealth and health, and that is the legacy I want to leave behind, that my family do not stay on Centrelink payments, that they are independent," he said.
"We have gone through so much work and we are now witnessing the fruit of our labour because of the unity of the family [and] we have moved forward to where we want."
