Ambassador to head awards ceremony

Ground-breaking radiologist Yvonne Ho will be Baw Baw Shire’s Australia Day ambassador for 2020.

In addition to her stellar medical career, she is also an inspirational speaker, businesswoman, educator, musician and a Member of the Order of Australia.

The Australia Day ambassador program is a grassroots initiative that builds on the strength and excitement of Australia Day activities in local communities.

Dr Ho will participate in the Australia Day awards ceremony which honours local community members who have made a significant contribution to the community.

The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, January 21 at the Warragul Country Club.

Dr Ho was the first woman in Victoria and the first Australian woman of Asian heritage to be dually qualified as a radiologist and nuclear medicine specialist, both male-dominated medical specialties.

As a medical doctor in her fields of specialty, she has extensive experience in diagnosing and treating diseases and in medical research nationally and internationally.

She is also the first woman radiologist to be director of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR). She was also pivotal in introducing PET-CT imaging to Singapore.

Dr Ho is unique because she has an established parallel career in music as Director of Charteris Music School which innovates music education.

In 2015, Yvonne was awarded Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia and is the first Malaysian-born woman to receive this honour.

She serves on many boards, councils and committees, and is co-founder of an international marketing firm.

Mayor Danny Goss said the ambassador program was an opportunity to meet and gain inspiration from achievers from all walks of life.

“We look forward to welcoming Dr Yvonne Ho to our awards ceremony to hear about her passions, experiences and pride in being an Australian,” he said.