The Order of the British Empire - Member (Civil) 1978.,
Medal of the Order of Australia 2017,
Biographical notes
Sister Heather went to Goulburn Island, as a nursing sister appointed by the Methodist Overseas Mission to take on medical work she nursed at the dispensary and later the hospital unit. Finding it hard to relate to the tribal Aboriginal she persevered through feelings of isolation and with patience from the Aboriginal and herself learns to understand their ways. In 1966 Heather turned to full-time linguistic translating the Maung language of the Goulburn Island people while still doing medical work and relief teaching and with the elders had started recording the Maung alphabet. Her work in this area included linguistic analysis, bible translation, translation and discussion of educational material including electoral information and land rights legislation also participation in bilingual education program when it was introduced to the school in 1972. After marrying to Raymond Hewett in 1975 Heather left Warrawi she kept in touch with the school's bilingual program by correspondence until 1986. Heather taught English for six months at Nungalinya College as an assistant then they moved to Bamyili (Barunga) for two years where Heather was engaged in training Aboriginal store workers in store management and helping them to take the control of their own destiny on a day-to-day level.,