In the 2001 Australia Day Honours, George was further recognised as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) "for service to the Anglican Church, ecumenism and to the community through engagement in social policy issues and international relief work." His passion for refugees was a hallmark of his social engagement, in particular during his time as Archbishop of Adelaide.[8]
George was awarded the Centenary Medal on 1 January 2001 for his "service to Australian society through the Anglican Church of Australia".[9]
A keen supporter of the arts, especially the visual arts, George loved to make links between the great Christian themes of forgiveness, redemption and resurrection and the great masters. His Good Friday tours of the Art Gallery of South Australia were one way he expressed his love of the arts.[10] He was co-author with painter David Dridan in the publication Artists of the Fleurieu (2008).
In 2004, George resigned from the role of archbishop due to mishandling of sex abuse allegations.[11] This was just 10 weeks before he was due to retire.[12] Later, he admitted he should have listened to the priest who blew the whistle on the Brandenburg sex-abuse scandal that engulfed the church and cost him his job. At the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse in January 2015 he described this as a "serious error in judgement".[13]
George moved to Melbourne following his resignation as Archbishop of Adelaide. He suffered a stroke in late 2018, and another in early 2019. He died at The Alfred Hospital two weeks later, on 28 January 2019.[14][15][16]
^Peter March (ed.). "The Right Reverend Dr Ian Gordon Combe George AO". Guardian: A Publication of the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide. No. Easter 2019. Anglican Diocese of Adelaide. p. 7. Retrieved 3 April 2021.