ACPA Life Membership – Annie Carrett

Former ACPA President Annie Carrett was the special guest speaker at the Australasian Catholic Press Association Awards Dinner in Bathurst on Thursday 12 September. Following her talk, ACPA President Michael McVeigh announced that Annie had been given life membership to the association. The following is her citation.

ACPA Life Membership can be bestowed by the Executive Committee upon individuals in recognition for their years of service to the organisation.

By granting someone life membership, we hope they will continue to be part of our community, even if they are no longer working in the Catholic media. We have among us this evening a number of ACPA Life Members, including Fr Frank Freeman and Fr John Jegorow who are part of our conference, and our special dinner guests Mr Kerry Myers and Mr Geoff Orchison.

Annie Carrett has long been part of the Catholic media community here in Australia. After starting her career with the Press Gallery, she joined the Diocese of Toowoomba to work in the archives and in communications.

She joined the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay in 2002, becoming editor of Broken Bay News and managing communications for the diocese. During this time, she was elected Vice-President of ACPA in 2009, and President from 2012 to 2015.

Annie was the sort of person anyone wants on a committee.  From her first days, she was someone who was always willing to take on the biggest – and often least recognised – jobs.

One of Annie’s great contributions to ACPA, over many years, was running the annual awards. She was able to utilise her many connections from her years in the press gallery to ensure that the judges for our awards for excellence were judged by professionals who knew good journalism when they saw it.

She was also a generous, and welcoming person. Much of the warmth and fellowship that members of ACPA experience today was sowed under Annie’s leadership of the association. Although Annie is no longer directly working in the Catholic media, she continues to be part of the broader Catholic Church community as Director of the Office of the Archbishop in Melbourne.

Annie, it’s my pleasure to bestow an ACPA Life Membership on you tonight. Thank you for your service to our organisation, and I hope that you will always feel welcome to join us for our conferences no matter where your career in the Catholic Church takes you from here. There will always be a warm reception for you here in ACPA.

Pictured: Annie Carrett receives her Life Membership from ACPA President Michael McVeigh.