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ASSOCIATIONS: IAPMO
IAPMO Oceana’s Bonsak earns
Australia’s highest honour
On 18 October 2017, Paul Bonsak attended a ceremony at
the Victorian Government House, where Her Excellency The
Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, presented
him with the award for his service to children as a provider of
foster care, founding horse-riding clubs for the disabled and
adults, and for his work within the business community.
By Mike Flenniken
Russ Chaney
In the spirit of the
sharing of unique
experiences that shape
the plumbing industries
in our respective nations,
the following article
looks at the reasons
why IAPMO Oceana
managing director Paul
Bonsak was chosen to
receive a prestigious
award from the Australian
government. Written by
IAPMO staff writer Mike
Flenniken, it is the next in
a regular series of similar
articles that will run in this
magazine.
The award
also honours
Bonsak for his
professional
work, which
includes nearly
50 years in
the plumbing
industry.
At first, Bonsak thought he was being pranked.
Decades earlier, as he was preparing for a telephone
interview, a friend called and pretended to be the
interviewer.
“He kept asking me if I was a loser,” IAPMO Oceana’s
managing director said with a chuckle. “And of course,
I’m trying to convince this guy that I’m not, and then all
of a sudden he started laughing and I realised it was my
idiot friend.”
So, when a “very properly spoken lady” from the
Australian government called to tell him he was being
considered for the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
in the General Division, he thought it best to take down
her phone number and call her back.
“I rang them back, and she said, ‘Hello, Mr Bonsak, do
you believe me now?’” Bonsak recalled.
The award is part of the Order of Australia, the principal
and most prestigious means of recognising outstanding
members of the community at a national level. Nominations
are encouraged from all members of the Australian public.
Australian honours and awards are presented to men and
women whose actions have set them apart and enriched
the community across a broad range of professional,
public, and community service sectors.
In a message, His Excellency General The Honourable Sir
Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) said, “In their daily lives,
these admirable people demonstrate those values that
we as a nation hold dear: compassion, civility, dedication,
cou