Peter Gordon’s Australia Day honour

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Peter Gordon (above) has been made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia for his service to the community.

I hope everyone else who worked hard to help the club survive and prosper feels the same kind of pride. To have the chance to commit to an important cause is itself the best reward.Peter Gordon

Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon has been made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia for his service to the community.

Gordon has been recognised for his contributions through Australian Rules Football, health promotion, youth social welfare and the law.
“It is a great honour to receive this award,” Gordon said.

“I feel fortunate to have been offered the opportunities I’ve had throughout my career to date. And when I look back on how far the Bulldogs have come in 30 years since the first gatherings of the Save the Dogs group in the then condemned John Gent stand, I have to just shake my head.

“I hope everyone else who worked hard to help the club survive and prosper feels the same kind of pride. To have the chance to commit to an important cause is itself the best reward.”

Growing up in West Footscray, Gordon is best known for his role as a two-time president of the Bulldogs, where he was instrumental in preventing an enforced merger with the Fitzroy Football Club in 1989, and delivering the Club’s second ever premiership in 2016.
But Gordon’s legacy extends well beyond football.

His pioneering efforts in mass tort and consumer class action litigation include claims for victims of asbestos cancer, medically-acquired AIDS, sex abuse related to the Catholic Church, faulty breast implants and more, have resulted in thousands of men and women who otherwise would have lacked the resources gain financial compensation.

At the Bulldogs, Gordon was the driving force of what has become Australia’s biggest men’s health program, Sons of the West, impacting thousands of lives across Melbourne’s west since 2014, and companion program, Daughters of the West, was made possible through the financial support of Gordon Legal as the program’s major sponsor. Gordon Legal pledged $200,000 to make the launch of the womens’ health program possible in 2017.

Gordon also served on the Board of VicHealth (including a period as Deputy Chair and Acting Chair) for almost ten years, was also inaugural Chair of Victoria Walks, and joint inaugural co-Chair of the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer.

He currently serves on the Board of the homeless youth charity of the AFL Players’ Association, Ladder and was also Chair of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation for five years following his return to the club in late 2012.

In 2017, Gordon was awarded an honorary doctorate at Victoria University, in recognition of more than 30 years of distinguished service to traditionally disadvantaged clients who would otherwise have been unable to pursue their rightful claims.

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Well done Peter, and well deserved.

Fantastic and well done Peter. Such a good contributor to society in general.

Well done commissioner Gordon.

A well deserved pat on the back from a grateful community. That's how I see it.

Its well known in footy that the club is bigger than the individual. Peter Gordon is the only person involved with footy that comes close to turning that adage on its head. It's fair to say that without Peter Gordon (with a lot of help but it was Gordo who took up the cudgels and ran with them. Without him 1989 wouldn't have happened IMO) we wouldn't have a club to be bigger than.

And from what I understand that's not the only time he has put the club first and dug deep. When we needed a million dollars to establish our own reserves team in the VFL it was him who "loaned" the club most of the money. Otherwise we would still be waiting to have our own reserves team.

So thanks Peter. Hopefully you'll able to put that honour in between two AFL premiership medals come November.

Congratulations, Peter!

Well done Peter. Well deserved.

Would be great to chat with our president sometime. A true champion of our club and in the community.

I take my hat off to you Peter. To donate money is one thing and the more you have the more you can give but to donate time to several organisations is something special. He is a great role model for everyone.

Well done Peter, you deserve it.

We've certainly been privileged to have Peter at our club. A very good and decent man who's extremely generous with his commitments.