AFTER the debacle of David Morrison as Australian of the Year, it's time we scrapped the award altogether, or at least got it right.
It has become a politically correct bauble with zero relevance or respect from most Australians.
The fact it is awarded on our national day, and dominates media coverage, just adds insult to injury. Who could forget that the elevation of former chief of army Morrison this year sent some of his former soldiers into spirals of despair. 
Six months on, Diversity David has made no mark in the role, other than popping his head up last month to lecture us not to use the gender-specific word "guys".
So bathed is Morrison in the toxic sludge of gender ideology that he could not foresee the derision that greeted his linguistic advice.
Thus having debased the award with a string of generally divisive choices, it's time for the Australian of the Year selection committee to atone.
In 2017, let's have an Australian of the Year worthy of -admiration, someone who represents the best of us. Let's choose someone whose mission is not to preach how evil, racist, sexist, bigoted and violent we are, but to reflect the best of our nation and inspire us by example to do even better. Someone who has offered a life of service, with little tangible reward. Someone like Michael Lyddiard, a Digger who was sev-erely wounded in the war in Afghanistan nine years ago, and overcame all odds to -retrain as an occupational therapist who helps other wounded veterans today.
Lyddiard was a 32-year-old army bomb disposal expert in 2007 when an improvised -explosive device he was trying to disarm blew up in his face.
He lost his right eye, his lower right arm and two fingers on his left hand. His face was shattered, his hearing damaged, and he only regained -partial sight in his left eye months later.
As a sapper he knew he was doing the most dangerous job. But he also knew it was crucial to disarm and preserve for -investigation the IEDS which were killing our troops.
After he was discharged from hospital in Townsville, he was asked to leave the army, which was a devastating blow.
"When they told me I had to move on, I hit the bottle for one or two weeks," he says.
But the rejection spurred him to prove his disabilities didn't make him useless. "To be honest, I wouldn't have completed uni, I wouldn't have been so determined or competitive. I had no choice except to turn a negative into a -positive." He also says he owed it to his young sons Kyran, now 12, and Mason, 8, to be a father they could admire.
He graduated last year from James Cook University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.
Now he helps other veterans with injuries. He says they feel comfortable unburdening themselves on someone who so -obviously has suffered the consequences of war.
He's also the fittest he's ever been, pushing his body in triathlons, bike racing and distance swimming.
As an ambassador to veteran charity Soldier On he also helps other ex-soldiers whose wounds may not be so obvious.
"The only way I've been able to move forward is I've had a lot of good supports and strong bonds to get over my hurdles, physical and mental â€¦ and I want to help other people and show we all have the capacity to give after trauma," he says.
Veterans like Geoff Sha-fran, whose petition calling for the resignation of Morrison as AOTY garnered almost 10,000 signatures, are backing -Lyddiard.
"I think Michael fits the public belief of what an Australian of the year should be," he says.
"A person who has taken risks, and been a pioneer who has had a positive impact on people's lives."You have until -  August 7 to nominate your choice for Australian of the Year 2017.