On the afternoon of Wednesday 23 September 2026, I sat in a hushed, sunlit room at Government House Sydney with my mother, sisters and nephew while we watched my father, Zia Ahmad, receive the Medal of the Order of Australia. It was an occasion I will never forget.
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, hosted the King’s Birthday 2026 Honours and Awards investiture, where thirty-one recipients from across Sydney were formally presented with their honours. Aba (dad) was recognised for service to journalism and to the Muslim community.
It was my first time at Government House, and I was struck by its grandeur and history. Built between 1837 and 1843 on Macquarie Street, overlooking the harbour, it carries nearly two centuries of stories within its sandstone walls.
Zia Ahmad OAM with his youngest daughter, Rubinah Ahmad.
What stayed with me most was how we were received. Defence Force personnel served as ushers and welcomers, and their presence lent the whole occasion a deep sense of dignity.
These are people of real standing and service, yet they were warm, polite and genuinely congratulatory to every family who walked through the door. As we were shown to our seats, we all felt respected and honoured.
The Governor’s address
Her Excellency opened by acknowledging the Gadigal people, the traditional owners of the land, speaking in their language, a personal tradition she holds dear. She reflected that without language we could neither form our thoughts nor share them.
She then shared some of the history of the House. It was first occupied in the time of Governor Gipps, who lived there only briefly before leaving the colony (and who lent his name to Gippsland). The great tree in the garden outside, she told us, was planted as a seedling in 1846.
She spoke of the journey each recipient goes through: the letter asking whether they would accept the honour, searching for their name in the newspaper, and then the invitation to Government House.
Whether through paid work or volunteering, she said, every one of the thirty-one had gone a step above their ordinary lives to serve others.
She recalled a guest from that morning’s ceremony who remarked that hearing all the citations made you feel you ought to be doing a bit more yourself. I think everyone in the room felt the same.
Thirty-one stories of service
As each recipient was called, their citation was read aloud, covering their professional life, their voluntary work and their achievements, before announcing what the honour recognised. The recipient then walked forward to the Governor, who pinned the medal and shared a few private words with them.
Zia with his wife Mehar.
It was inspiring. These were people from every corner of Sydney who had given so much back to their communities while balancing work and family. And it was lovely to see how much time and respect the Governor gave each person in that one-on-one moment.
“Mr Ziaul Islam Ahmad”
When Dad’s full name, Ziaul Islam Ahmad, was called, it rang out clearly in a room so quiet you could hear a pin drop. His citation read like a summary of a lifetime:
He co-founded the Australasian Muslim Times (AMUST) in 1991 and has been its Editor-in-Chief since 2014.
He was a founding member and treasurer, and later president, of the Sydney University Muslim Students Association.
He co-founded the Australian Multicultural Eid Festival and Fair MEFF and served as its president. He is a trustee of the Islamic Foundation for Education and Welfare, a member of the Abraham Conference Organising Committee and a Universal Peace Federation ambassador.
For four decades he worked as a molecular bioscientist at the University of Sydney’s School of Molecular Bioscience.
His awards include three Premier’s Multicultural Communication Awards, among them a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Multicultural Communities Council of NSW Excellence Award.
The only thing missing was his passion for long-distance swimming!
His chat with the Governor ran a little longer than most, which will surprise no one who knows Aba; he does love a good conversation.
When I asked him afterwards what they discussed, he said she wanted to know how he had managed two careers, as a biochemist and as a journalist, each with such a long track record.
Aba told her that one was his profession and the other his passion, a volunteer’s way of serving the community. She appreciated that answer greatly.
A lifetime in the making
That answer sums Aba up.
He arrived in Sydney from India in 1971 with his father, the late Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad OAM, at a time when the Muslim community was tiny, with no mosques or halal shops.
From a granny flat in the family home, which became the first office of the Australian Islamic Mission (AIM), they began producing newsletters and magazines in 1973 using a Gestetner.
In 1984 they bought one of the first Macintosh computers in Australia, and in 1991, during the first Gulf War, Aba along with his father and others launched AMUST as a multilingual newspaper.
After retiring from the University, he relaunched it in full colour in 2014 using modern technologies, where it has not missed an issue since and has expanded into a robust news platform, print and digital.
Zia with his grandson Eesa (left), his wife Mehar and daughter Saminah (right)
Our weekly family study circle, which he has helped sustain us since 1983, gave rise to the Multicultural Eid Festival and Fair MEFF, first held in 1985.
As community broadcaster Saleha Singh put it in her recent profile of him, Aba is one of those people who builds community “with their hands, their time, and their steady presence.”
His father (my grandfather, dada), late Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad received his own OAM in 2020, also from the Governor. I know how much it would have meant to him to see his son follow in his footsteps.
Zia and Mehar with their eldest daughter Sakinah.
The ceremony was livestreamed, and we sent the link to family and friends everywhere. Family across Australia watched with their children, and friends tuned in from Saudi Arabia to the United States.
It was a wonderful way to share this very Australian occasion with the world.
Public service should be a natural and central part of life
Before closing, the Governor paused to honour Warrant Officer Bruce Homewood, who was retiring after 46 years in the Royal Australian Air Force and eight years as a Government House usher.
She thanked all the Defence ushers and House staff, joking that “they make me look good,” and mentioned staff by name, like Rachel polishing the brass stair rails and John sweeping the driveway so the grounds would be perfect for guests.
She ended by reflecting on the moments of deep humanity she glimpses in her private conversations with recipients, and on her belief that public service should be a natural and central part of life.
Afterwards we were invited into the gardens to take photos, mingle and enjoy delicious canapés, thoughtfully prepared halal. Standing there with Aba, medal on his lapel, surrounded by family and fellow recipients, I felt enormous pride.
It was a day of dignity, warmth and respect from beginning to end.
Zia and Mehar with Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales.
During informal conversation with the Governor, She acknowledged her visit to the Fairfield Showground at MEFF 2024 as the Chief Guest recalling how much she enjoyed Australian multiculturalism showcased at the Eid Festival.
Congratulations, Aba. This honour is so well deserved, and we are so proud of you. I know I speak for my sisters too as well as for my brother-in-laws, when I say you are our role model.
In your commitment to Islam and da’wah, staying active and healthy, your professional life, your community work, your volunteering as well as caring for the family, and in the way you balance it all, you have shown us how to live a full life of enjoyment and service.
We are proud to follow in your footsteps.
Comments