"Twenty-eight Tasmanians were awarded a medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division, called OAM...[including] Eric Louis Philips, of Mt Nelson, for achievement in polar exploration and for service to the community by promoting outdoor activities, particularly to young people.
Mr Philips is the only person to have skied across the world's four largest ice caps and he established a new route through the Trans-Antarctic Mountains in 1998-99.
He was a field officer at the Australian Antarctic Division's Mawson Station in 1996-97, is director of Ice Trek, an expedition company and works as a motivational speaker.
He has produced four documentaries about his expeditions, including Chasing the Midnight Sun, which won an Emmy Award."
—from the Mercury (Tasmania)