Joining him on the King’s Birthday Honours List 2024, are Canterbury’s Tish Bruce who received the Public Service Medal (PSM) for outstanding public service to NSW Community Health and former Bass Hill police officer Detective Sergeant Kristi Faber who received the Australian Police Medal (APM) for her internationally-acclaimed work prosecuting child sex offenders.
Dr Bridger has won many professional awards and recognition in his extensive career and was resigned to the fact that was it.
“I thought I’d been passed over and so then to receive this wonderful AM recognition from my country, I was doubly happy,” he said.
“I had other clinics but I always enjoyed my time in Bankstown and was grateful to all of my patients who had enormous faith in me and I’m proud to have not let them down.
“I’ve had a long and successful career, providing my expertise all over the world, and Bankstown has been a big part of that.”
Tish has worked as a speech pathologist, community health leader and as a policy maker for maternity, child and family health, aged care and palliative care.
Her leadership has seen hundreds of new nursing, allied health, medial and Aboriginal health roles established to better support people at the end of their life.
She said she was very surprised to be honoured with the PSM award.
“It’s a fantastic acknowledgement of my efforts to help but it reflects the amazing people I work with,” she said.
“I am lucky and feel so privileged to work with everyone around me and in the past; this award is for them too.”
Medal winners very grateful
OPERATING a clinic in Bankstown for 36 years until his retirement, Dr (George) Patrick Bridger has been awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through otolaryngology head and neck surgery.
