Swimming Australia congratulates 2025 King’s Birthday Honours recipients

Swimming Australia has today congratulated 2025 King’s Birthday Honours recipients - Olympian Nicole Livingstone AO (above left); celebrated coach John ‘JR’ Rodgers AM (above centre); and Carol Glenda Gathercole OAM (above right).

Three-time Olympian Livingstone was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to sports development and administration, to the promotion of women in sport, and to community health.

With a career spanning over 50 years, ‘JR’ has guided generations of Olympic talent, including Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Kareena Lee in the 10km open water swim and most recently coached Nicholas Sloman on to the Paris 2024 Olympic open water team.

Canberra’s Carol Gathercole received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for her service to the community as a swimming teacher, which started in 1958, and was a founding member of the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association.

Swimming Australia Chief Executive Rob Woodhouse congratulated the trio and enthused “this is wonderful recognition of the many ways Olympians, coaches and those involved in all levels of our wonderful sport from the grassroots up, contribute and inspire society."

Livingstone, who swum for the Dolphins at Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, continues to shape the future of high-performance sport in Australia as Chief Executive of the Victorian Institute of Sport.

For John 'JR' Rodgers, the award is recognition of a lifetime of service.

The Noosa swim coach was named Swimming Australia’s Open Water Program Coach of the Year for 2024.

For the ACT’s Gathercole, her lifetime love of swimming started in the United States before continuing in Australia where she still serves on Canberra Girls’ Grammar School’s board.

Woodhouse added “Congratulations to all recipients and with our Australian Trials on in Adelaide this week, the timing is appropriate to thank all our volunteers, coaches, administrators and participants.”