Christopher Pfeiffer awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM)

We are delighted to share that Christopher John Pfeiffer, Board Chair of Tanunda has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of his outstanding service to the Lutheran Church and the broader community.

Christopher has long been a respected leader in South Australia’s Barossa region, where his contributions span printing, tourism, and faith-based outreach. His ability to weave together business acumen with a deep commitment to service has made a lasting impact on both the church and the communities he supports.

Whether through his professional pursuits or his generous volunteer efforts, Christopher has exemplified a life of integrity, leadership, and faithful dedication. His recognition is richly deserved, and we join the wider community in congratulating him on this significant honour.

Chris was born on Renmark where his parents owned a vineyard, moving to Loxton when Soldier Settler land was available in 1953. After primary school, he became a boarder at Concordia College, Adelaide to begin studies for the Lutheran ministry. Not really a scholar, he invested his time in sport and music rather than the languages required to enter Lutheran Seminary and it was during these years, supported by, many wonderful teachers that he began to take on leadership roles as captain of numerous sporting and non-curriculum organisations within the college, finally being elected Head Prefect in his last year. Chris was employed in printing sales with Lutheran Publishing House in 1969 and married 18-year-old Jayne in 1971 and they went on to have two children, Melissa & Matthew, both of whom live in the Barossa. Chris became involved in the Printing industry holding numerous positions as State President and National Vice President.

He became manager of The Openbook stores in Adelaide, Tanunda and Hamilton and Jayne held the home together as Chris became involved in industry and community organisations following their move to Brisbane. It was during these years that he also travelled the world regularly working with international Christian publishers to develop teaching resources which were originally published by Openbook Publishers. Jayne began working in Lutheran education while she supported Chris and raised their two children. The next move was to Melbourne where Chris was to establish a new bookstore and become involved on the board of National Church Life Survey which was a benchmarking project involving most Australian Christian churches as well as many in the USA.

Moving around meant that both Jayne and Chris needed to meet new people, so becoming involved in church, school and community were great ways to enable that. In 1995, Jayne & Chris joined their brother Martin and his wife Sally to found Whistler Wines and later, a B&B, Whistler Farm. This meant additional opportunities, becoming involved in the Wine and Tourism industries as well as continuing to be involved in several boards of the Lutheran Church. Today Chris serves as Chair of Lutheran Homes Barossa and the Southern Barossa Lutheran Church, Secretary of the Barossa and Schubert Liberal Party and treasurer of Barossa Radio Station, BBBFM.