Patricia Falcetta OAM was excited and slightly nervous on the morning of her Investiture into the Order. But her nerves were soon calmed when meeting the other recipients at Government House Canberra.  

“It was lovely to be with a whole group of people who were awarded and recognised for different areas of service. We were all feeling inspired.”  

Having family to support her and witness the Investiture was also important to Mrs Falcetta. “Family plays a huge part in this as well. If I didn't have the support of my family to go out into the community and do the work that I do … be out of the house or, you know, advocating and speaking. They’re very proud.”  

It was also an honour to meet the Governor-General, she says. "When he was presenting the medal the words that he gave to me were really considered … it was very personal. It’s really wonderful to have that acknowledgment.”  

Being recognised for advocacy for neurodivergent people feels like a breakthrough.  

“I'm a neurodivergent woman, so I have ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) myself. It’s probably only in the past two to five years that we've become much better at diagnosing women with neurodivergent conditions. It's always been thought that autism and ADHD were very much male conditions, whereas we now recognize that the ratio is even - one on one.”  

“My vision is for neurodivergent people to be recognised, accepted and integrated as contributing and valuable members of society. This recognition is a way of bringing that more to the forefront and creating more community awareness.”  

Patricia Falcetta OAM was invested in the Order of Australia at the Spring 2023 ceremonies at Government House, Canberra.