Towns across the Moira Shire, alongside a number of smaller towns across the Goulburn Murray region, will hold Australia Day ceremonies. At these ceremonies, local awards will be announced. These include awards for Citizen of the Year, Community Organisation of the Year, Project and Event of the Year.
It’s also the time that some will be recognised with Australia Day honours under the Order of Australia. These awards are announced twice per year on Australia Day and the King’s Birthday.
Usually when these are announced there is some controversy around recipients.
So, how does the Order of Australia work?
The Order of Australia is managed by the Honours Secretariat, which is part of the Governor-General’s office.
The process from nomination to award can take many years. A nomination is lodged and then researched by the secretariat. The process is confidential.
It begins with a nomination. Any member of the community can nominate another. This can be done online. The nominator can provide up to six referees who can comment.
The nominee must not be approached for information, nor made aware of their nomination. It is sensible to maintain confidentiality. In the event of an unsuccessful nomination, this avoids disappointment.
Nominations cannot be made posthumously. The nominee must be living at the time of the nomination. Deceased persons can still be honoured, provided that nomination was made before their subsequent death.
The secretariat will undertake extensive research and may approach others, such as the suggested referees.
There are various levels. These are OAM, AM, AO or AC.
Firstly, the OAM represents a medal in the General Division of the Order of Australia. Next follows AM (Member), AO (Officer), with the highest level being AC (Companion of the Order).
There are civil and military divisions.
Before the establishment of the Australian honours, Imperial Honours applied. These comprised various orders, including Order of the British Empire, Order of the Thistle, Order of the Garter, Order of St Michael and St George, and the Royal Victorian Order.
The new Order was formally established on February 14, 1975.
As the Order states, “the Order of Australia, instituted by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 February, 1975 was established as an Australian society of honour for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or meritorious service.”
Interestingly, there are limited caps on the number of awards in the various categories. These are limited to 35 Companions (AC), 40 Officers (AO), and 605 Members ( AM) in any calendar year. There is no restriction on the number of Medals (OAM) that can be bestowed. Occasionally these have also included AK. These controversially were reinstated by Prime Minister Tony Abbott who reinstated Knights and Dames.
Notable holders include Ita Buttrose AC, Ian Thorpe AM, and Moira Shire Administrator Suzanna Sheed AM.
Honourees can be invested at ceremonies held a couple of times per year, at Government House. These can be presided over by the Governor-General or by the State Governor of your state.
Recipients come from all walks of life. They can be elite sportspeople, celebrities, business owners, people from the arts or community volunteers. Neale Daniher has been honoured twice, receiving first his AM in 2016 for his efforts combating Motor Neurone Disease (MND). He received the higher AO in 2021.
In my experience, most recipients are genuinely humble when receiving the honour. Some have seriously considered declining it. The process is exhaustive, and there is the effort and work by nominators, the comments from referees and others.
Sometimes, these can be controversial. Anyone can nominate. There are a number of residents who have one of these honours.
One of the old Imperial Honours was the OBE, Order of the British Empire. I know several more mature citizens who describe themselves as an OBE. In their situation it means Over Bloody Eighty.
Here’s a link for those who may consider nominating. It’s quick and easy to do: https://oosgg-ca-prod.powerappsportals.com
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