Rad Leovic was born in Nis in 1927. He fled Yugoslavia in 1951, and arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1952. He spent his Australian working life with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which supported him through tertiary education in economics, and has spoken extensively on multiculturalism in Australia.

However, fittingly for this ceremony, we also honour him as an athlete. He is still one of Canberra’s best-loved and most dedicated runners, duathletes and triathletes, and one of the best in his age group. Last year, for example, he returned from a bronze medal in the World Duathlon Championships, to win the M75 category in the Australian Mountain Running Championships. He is proof of the attitude, espoused by World Harmony Run founder Sri Chinmoy, that age is no barrier to athleticism or progress.