The school Board, Principal, staff, students and the extended Westbourne community are delighted to warmly congratulate Dr Jacqueline Mein (1983) on the award of a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday honours. This award is in recognition of Dr Mein’s outstanding service to medicine and community health. A member of Westbourne’s first Year 12 at the Truganina campus, Dr Mein was a winner of the JP Pascoe award and the Neville R Hudson Award for the Dux of the School; subsequently completing her Higher School Certificate with six As. Having also won a major residential exhibition to Queen’s College she commenced her studies in first year medicine at the University of Melbourne in 1984.

Now a James Cook University Adjunct Professor in Medicine and Director of Medical Services with the Wuchopperan Health Service in Cairns, Dr Mein’s distinguished service to the community has involved work in a wide range of medical fields, including family planning, population health and general practice. More specifically, her workover several decades with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has been focused on promoting health literacy through the development of a culture of education. Teaching people about how to best manage their health is, she believes, the very cornerstone of successful preventative programs.