Foxground charity queen Maura Cato 'humbled' by Australia Day honour

"I had friends nominate me, and I'm going 'what?'" Mrs Cato said of her surprise when finding out.

"What I do is so little compared to what other people do."

Mrs Cato said her charity work was part of her everyday life and thought of it as nothing special, having been brought up from a young age to help others.

"When I got the email ... at first I thought it was some kind of scam," she said. "It's so lovely that they think I would be worthy of something like this."

Mrs Cato said her parents were always volunteering for different organisations and helping those less fortunate or in need, a legacy she has carried on.

From volunteering in soup kitchens to organising a festival at her home to raise money for East Timorese to making up hundreds of gift-hampers for Christmas with herself and some friends, Mrs Cato is happy to do what she can.

"Every year you hope demand might get smaller, but the homeless issue in our area is huge," she said.

"I'm very fortunate that my husband is always very supportive of me and some of my friends I've known [for decades] still come and help."

There were 736 awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia, with 48 per cent for women and 45 per cent for service to local communities.

"It is encouraging to see an increase in diversity in the Order of Australia," Governor-General David Hurley said.

"Each recipient has something in common - someone nominated them. The Order belongs to each of us and we each have a part to play. The only way a person can be recognised is for someone to nominate them."

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