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Professor The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO

Dame Marie Bashir, AD, CVO is the former and second longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular emphasis in psychiatry. In 1993 Bashir was appointed the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the Central Sydney Area Health Service, a position she held until appointed governor on 1 March 2001. She has also served as the Chancellor of the University of Sydney. Many of you will know Dame Marie not only for her extraordinary service to both medicine and as Governor of New South Wales, but also as a regular parishioner at St James’.

Leo Schofield AM

Leo Schofield AM has been a significant figure in Australia's cultural life for three decades. With a background in advertising and journalism, he was the director of the Melbourne Festival from 1994 to 1996 and the Sydney Festival from 1997 to 2001. In the latter role, he was credited with making the annual showcase for music, dance, theatre, art exhibitions and outdoor events more diverse, accessible and financially viable. From 1996 to 2000 he was the energetic inaugural chairman of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and in 2001 he directed the Olympic Arts Festival. He has been a lively and powerful newspaper and television commentator on the performing arts, food, museums and heritage issues, and during his long tenancy at Sydney's historic Bronte House he painstakingly restored and maintained the house and its grounds. In 2001 Schofield gained an honorary doctorate for his cultural advocacy from the University of New South Wales.