On Australia Day 1999, Mary Lopez was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her service to the Performing Arts and the development of talented young Australian Entertainers. The Order of Australia is the principal and most prestigious means of recognising outstanding members of the community at a national level and nominations are encouraged from all members of the Australian public.
The purpose of the Order of Australia is to recognise, by national honour, those who have made outstanding contributions that benefit their communities, and ultimately our country.The Governor-General approves appointments and awards in the General Division on the recommendation of the Council of the Order of Australia. The second purpose of the Order of Australia is that it serves to define, encourage and reinforce community standards, national aspirations and ideals by acknowledging actions and achievement and thereby identifying role models at all levels and in all spheres of the community. While endeavour may have been sustained over many years, as in Mary’s case, in essence, membership of the Order of Australia is not an award for long service but for outstanding service.
Mary’s success as a producer/director emanates from her flair for capturing the spirit of Australia through themed productions in huge cast variety spectaculars and special performance events. She has created over 60 major productions, many of which have been televised. She developed the direction concepts for the two annual productions, the Schools Spectacular and an Australian Christmas.
In 1991, she created the Talent Development Project and assumed the role of Creative Director. The program uses a unique teaching program, devised by Mary, which prepares outstandingly talented young Australians for a career in the music and entertainment industry. Her personal belief in the talent of young performers has led her to devote all her working years to their development.