PAUL MOULDS (AM) IS OUR GUEST SPEAKER ON 11 MAY 2011

Paul Moulds of the Salvation Army will be our Guest Speaker at the Combined Services Dinner on Wed 11 May 2011. Paul is a member of the Order of Australia (AM) and not OAM as inadvertently reported in my previous article and now corrected here: [Read the rest of this article...]

My apologies to Paul as I had accidently demoted him. As per the following article, a Member of the Order of Australia is a higher ranking than an OAM.

The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service". Before the establishment of the Order, Australian citizens received British honours.

A member of the Order of Australia (AM) is awarded for Achievement and merit in service to Australia or humanity.

The Order is divided into general and military divisions, with the following grades in descending order of seniority:

• Knight or Dame of the Order of Australia (AK or AD, no new appointments);
• Companion of the Order of Australia (AC);
• Officer of the Order of Australia (AO);
• Member of the Order of Australia (AM); and

·         Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Following his 1983 election, Prime Minister Bob Hawke abolished the Knight and Dame categories. On 3 March 1986 the Queen co-signed Letters Patent revoking the category of Knight or Dame. Existing Knights and Dames were not affected by this change.

The remaining Medals for Order of Australia are then;

Companion

'Eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large'
Officer

'Distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large'
Member

'Service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group'
Medal of the Order of Australia

'Service worthy of particular recognition'

Any person may nominate any Australian citizen for an award. The nominations are reviewed by the Council for the Order of Australia, and then approved by the Governor-General.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Australia )