Four members of Australia's aviation community have been honoured with Order of Australia Medals (OAM) in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours List announced today.
Parafield Executive General Manager Tom Ganley is joined on the list by Australian Parachute Federation (APF) director Janine Hayes, Explorer Aircraft co-founder Graham Swannell and Par Avion Aviation and long-term owner of Cambridge Airport Don Wells.
Tom Ganley OAM came to Parafield from Adelaide Airports Limited (AAL), where he held the position of Executive GM Corporate Affairs. Prior to joining AAL, Ganley was CFO, Company Secretary and Deputy CEO for Airport Development Group, the owners and operators of Darwin, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek airports. He was also a director and former chair of the Australian Airports Association, and is a current non-executive director of Jandakot Airport in Perth. He was also a member of the Federal Airports Corporation (FAC) between 1989-1998.
APF board member Janine Hayes OAM is one of Australia's most experienced parachutists, having been a jump instructor since 1984, holding the position of Chief Instructor of the APF for 13 years. Within the APF, Hayes has also had roles as Director of Coaching, Director of National Development and Chair of the Awards Validation Unit. Outside the APF, Hayes has been an instructor of Commando Skydivers and a committee member of Latrobe Valley Aero Club. She has service awards from both the APF and the Victorian Tasmania Parachute Council, and was awarded an Australian Sports Medal in 2000.
Aeronautical Engineer Graham Swannell OAM is best known in Australia for his design and development work on the AEA Explorer and the Eagle 150B. Swannell founded Aeronautical Engineers Australia in Perth in 1978 and was there for 31 years. During that time, the company worked on a single-engined piston utility, which became the AEA Explorer, and the Eagle 150B very-light aircraft. Swannell later co-founded Explorer Aircraft in the USA to further develop the Explorer into the turbo-prop Explorer 500T and 750T. Swannell is still a director of the company, which is now based in Houston, Texas. He was awarded the Grand Master’s Australian Medal by the Guild of Air Pilots, London for the Eagle 150 design. Swannell been a member of Engineers Australia since 1974.
Don Wells OAM founded Airlines of Tasmania (Par Avion) in 1978, and held the position of Managing Director for 46 years until last year. The company has consistently run flights from Hobart into Bathurst Harbour and other remote destinations, as well as conducting flight training. Par Avion became one of Australia's largest operators of the Britten-Norman Islander. The company went on to win Tasmanian Tourism Awards seven times: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and was inducted into the Tasmanian Tourism Hall of Fame in 2016. In 1992, Wells' company bought Cambridge Airport freehold, and owned and operated it until last year when it was sold to Moorabbin helicopter operator Microflite.
Australian Flying congratulates all those recognised for the service to aviation in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours List.