The Cross of Valour was established in 1975 as the highest Australian Courage Award. The awards were established as part of the institution of the
Australian Honours System
The Australian honours and awards system refers to all orders, decorations, and medals, as instituted by letters patent from the Monarch of Australia and countersigned by the Australian prime minister at the time, that have been progressively ...
. The Cross of Valour has been awarded to five Australian civilians and, although there has been no Australian military recipient, they would be eligible in situations where normal honours to the military do not apply.
The Cross of Valour is awarded "only for acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril". The award carries the post-nominal initials CV; awards may be made posthumously.
Description
* The Cross of Valour is a gold, straight-armed
cross pattée
A cross pattée or cross patty (, ), also known as a cross formée or cross formy, or even a Templar cross, is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre and often flared in a curve or straight line shape to be broader at th ...
with diminishing rays between the arms. It is ensigned with the
Crown of St Edward.
* The obverse has the shield and crest of the
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
The coat of arms of Australia, officially the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, is a formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. It depicts a shield, containing symbols of Australia's six states, and is held up by native Australian animals, the ka ...
surmounted by a
Federation Star. A suspender bar is engraved with the words 'For Valour'.
* The ribbon is 38 mm wide, magenta with a central 16 mm blood-red band. The two reds in the ribbon represent the colours of
venous
Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and fetal c ...
and
arterial blood
Arterial blood is the oxygenated blood in the circulatory system found in the pulmonary vein, the left chambers of the heart, and in the artery, arteries. It is bright red in color, while venous blood is dark red in color (but looks purple through ...
.
List of recipients
To date, the Cross of Valour has been awarded to five recipients.
;1989
* Mr
Darrell Tree, Captain of Mount Damper Fire Brigade,
SA – Rescued a 3-year-old child from electrocution.
;1995
* Mr
Victor Boscoe,
Qld – Pursued and apprehended armed robbers at Strathpine.
;1998
* Senior Constable
Allan Sparkes,
NSW – Rescued a boy from flooded underground storm water drains.
;2003
* Senior Constable
Timothy Britten,
WA – Entered the Sari Club, destroyed in the
2002 Bali bombings
The 2002 Bali bombings were a series of terrorist attacks on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attacks killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 23 Britons, and people ...
, to rescue a badly injured woman, and then searched for other potential survivors despite personal injury and ongoing explosions.
[
]
* Mr
Richard Joyes, WA – Entered the bombed Sari Club alongside Senior Constable Timothy Britten to rescue a badly injured woman and search for other potential survivors despite personal injury and ongoing explosions.
He represented recipients at the
2023 Coronation.
Decoration allowance
The Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs may grant an allowance, called decoration allowance, to a veteran who has been awarded the Cross of Valour if the veteran is in receipt of a pension under Part II of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VE Act) and the award was for gallantry during a war to which the VE Act applies or during warlike operations. So far there have been no awards of the Cross of Valour during wars or warlike operations as required by the VE Act. The allowance has been
A$2.10 per fortnight since the Goods and Services Tax in Australia commenced on 1 July 2000.
[
]
See also
*
Orders, decorations, and medals of Australia
*
British and Commonwealth orders and decorations
*
Cross of Valour – Canada's counterpart
*
George Cross
The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...
– United Kingdom's counterpart
*
New Zealand Cross – New Zealand's counterpart
References
External links
Cross of Valour Association of Australia– official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross Of Valour (Australia)
Civil awards and decorations of Australia
Courage awards
1975 establishments in Australia
Awards established in 1975
*