The waiting game continues for Deborah and Sheila
Saturday, June 17, 2017 at 20:00 Yes, I'm referring to the intolerable delay in honouring Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH, and Sheila Duffy, CEO of ASH Scotland.
I first mentioned this extraordinary oversight in December 2013 (New Year's Honours: Arnott and Duffy overlooked again) when I asked:
Why no gongs for the likes of Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH; Sheila Duffy, CEO of ASH Scotland; Fiona Andrews, director of Smokefree South West; or Andrea Crossfield, director of Tobacco Free Futures?
After all, it's titans of Tobacco Control like Deborah and Sheila who are often credited with introducing smoking bans and other measures that have saved tens of thousands of lives. Allegedly.
Surely they should receive recognition for their services to public health?
The following year my prayers were answered when Andrea Crossfield and Fiona Andrew each received an MBE (Was it something I wrote?) but Arnott and Duffy missed out.
Since then I have religiously scoured both the New Year's Honours and the Queen's Birthday Honours but awards for our two heavyweight champions of public health has been noticeably absent.
I hoped the latest Birthday Honours, announced today, might bring long overdue recognition but no. Scandalously Arnott and Duffy have been overlooked, again.
Curiously, while the CEOs of ASH and ASH Scotland have been ignored year after year after year, the CEOs of regional groups such as Smokefree South West, Tobacco Free Futures and Fresh (formerly Smoke Free North East) have been honoured.
More bizarre still, neither Smokefree South West nor Tobacco Free Futures exist anymore, their local council benefactors quite rightly choosing to spend taxpayers' money on something more worthwhile.
Meanwhile Sheila Duffy, who has been CEO of ASH Scotland since 2007, continues her relentless pursuit of a smoke free society in the frustrating knowledge that her predecessor Maureen Moore was at least awarded an OBE.
As for my old friend Deborah Arnott, the wait for that elusive gong goes on. The good news is, there's always another Honours list.
Fingers crossed!
Reader Comments (1)
The govt should not reward bullies - oh wait, they already did 😤