Our Curator/President doesn't need pats on the back, but she got one anyway!

The Curator of the Cairns Frog Hospital and Founding President of the FDR Project has been given the Centenary Medal

The Centenary Medal is part of the Commonwealth Government's Australian Honours program which includes the post-nomial distinctions such as the Order of Australia (the recipient is allowed to use letters after their name). There are several medals in the series, the most familiar of which are the military medals that are proudly worn by war veterans during ANZAC day festivities.

The Centenary Medal is a commemorative medal created for the Australian Centenary of Federation in 2001 and is given to those who have made a contribution to the betterment of Australian society during the first 100 years of Federation, and to those whose contributions extend into the next century of Federation.

As someone who's immigration sponsor had to wage an expensive, stressful battle for over three years to keep her in this country, Deborah sees a special sweetness in this honour. The long battle with immigration was the beginning of the end to her health, but she has spent all her time in this country nonetheless contributing to the environment, whether it was flying-foxes, sharks, birds or frogs.

The contribution takes on another ironic meaning as well because Deborah has suffered from CFS since late 1995. A workaholic all her life (she started volunteering around the age of ten), having chronic fatigue has slowed her down, made everyday tasks more difficult and eroded her former skills tremendously. But she has been able to find a way to be useful to the planet by creating an arrangement where volunteer work can be done from home and where other people can be drawn in and learn how to conserve frogs under the changing environment we have in Far North Queensland.

A loner by neccessity, Deborah now uses what's left of her skills and energy for frog conservation and hopes that someone can be groomed to 'take over' before she is unable to continue. Being focussed solely on the work that needs to be done means that she is not the first person you would invite to dinner or a party, but somebody has to do the 'hard yakka' if we are ever going to achieve the all-important goals. Recently, a film producer looking at the possibility of doing a documentary on the frog hospital was more intrigued with who Deborah is and why she became so involved with frogs. So we thought we would throw in a few tidbits on this 'new Australian' who prefers the company of plants and animals over humans!

Where are you from?
I grew up an hour and a half drive from New York City and studied science and oceanography in school. I had intended to pursue a career in marine biology but the expenses of university in the US rival the cost of a home mortgage so I was unable to chase a degree. I moved to NYC in my early 20's and then to Sydney in 1989. I arrived in Cairns in March 1996 after the Daintree floods.

Why frogs?
I was involved in many different groups simultaneously and felt that being spread so thin would not lead to enough of a meaningful contribution towards anything, so I decided I had to focus on only one animal type. I chose frogs because, as a critical part of the food chain, there is such a void of knowledge in their life history, ecology and threats. They were an animal that allowed the greatest amount of advancement from the widest variety of people - in other words, you didn't need a degree to contribute something valuable to the scientific database on frogs.

Do you have any interests?
zoos and aquariums, being alone in nature, sharks, tropical islands, coral reefs, snorkling, rainforests, amateur astronomy

How about hobbies?
I don't have much time or energy for those but having a look through the telescope is a calming escape at the moment.

What is your star sign?
Aries with Saggitarius rising.

What are some of your favourites?

colours?
- purple, black, forest green and grey

music?
- YES and Gary Numan are my life long favourites; I also really like Rush, Midnight Oil, Alan Parsons, Rick Wakeman, Led Zeppelin - mostly artists from 20 to 30 years ago

actors/actresses?
- Jackie Chan, Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Michael J. Fox

movies?
- I've never been able to choose just one (Shanghai Noon, The Robe, The Sixth Sense, Beverly Hills Cop, The Frighteners, Burglar, Jumping Jack Flash, both Men In Black flicks, etc.) but then Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith came out and there was no indecision anymore - I consider it to be the most powerful film I've ever seen!

favourite places?
- the view from the outdoor roof of the World Trade Center (yes, I know its not there anymore...) and coral islands

How about dislikes?
No comment.

Do you have any goals for the future?
Making sure that the new frog diseases I've uncovered are recognised, isolated and properly studied. I'm not thinking about anything beyond that.