1

“We would like to thank all those wonderful people who have donated to this appeal up to now and we very much hope with all our hearts that we are able to reach our target before too long. The situation in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina has stabilised in relation to the rain but the current receding of the waters has only gone to bring new problems as well as make the damage all that more clear! We will continue to serve the most urgent cases as best we can and look forward to doing more as new donations come in. Once again, thank you so very much! Vladimir and Brigitta Karadjordjevic”

Donations are still urgently needed and can be made by visiting this web page.

http://www.gofundme.com/993b3c Editor

HRH Prince Karl Vladimir

Karadjordjevic of Yugoslavia GCSJ

Volume 1 Issue 1

Grand Master’s Serbian Flood Appeal

July 2014

Editor:

H.E. Conventual Bailiff

Fred Maestrelli GCSJ OMSJ

Grand Hospitaller

P.O. Box 192

Penshurst NSW 2222

AUSTRALIA

Priory of England 2

NSW Investiture 3

Priory of Queensland 4

Priory of St. Margaret of 5

On the road to ruin

Grand Priory of Scandi-

navia

6

12

Priories of France and

Victoria

Senior Officers

13

14

Vale

Elevations

Book

16

Inside this issue:

THE HOSPITALLER

A Publication of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem—Knights Hospitaller HM King Peter II Constitution—Grand Master HRH Prince Karl Vladimir Karadjordjevic of Yugoslavia GCSJ

WIFE & HUSBAND OF THE GRAND PRIORY

OF AUSTRALASIA AWARDED MEDALS

The Grand Master has been pleased to bestow the Cross of Merit on the Grand Chancellor, HE Conventual Bailiff Shane Hough GCSJ OMSJ. The Grand Mas-ter has also been pleased to bestow the Cross of Merit with Crown on Dame Sallyanne Hough DCSJ CMSJ. The medals and diplomas will be pre-sented in London in July 2014.

2

The Priory of England Patronal Feast Day took place on 21 June 2014 in the presence of the Grand Master, HRH Prince Karl Vladimir Karadjordjevic of Yugoslavia GCSJ and Grand Dame HRH Princess Brigitta of Yugoslavia GDSJ. Members and their guests gathered in the beautiful and historic Church of St Margaret, Lothbury in the City of Lon-don. The original church, built in the 12th Century, was rebuilt in 1440 but destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. The current church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was completed in 1692. The organist, Chev. David Roberts-Jones KSJ, was delighted to learn that the organ had been played by Felix Mendelssohn! During the service, Grand Dame Elizabeth Carey-Sheill GDSJ was installed as the Prior of the Priory of England by the Grand Master. After the Mass, conducted by the Priory Chaplain, Chevalier Bishop Paul Hendricks GCSJ, with the gracious permission of the Bishop of London, an official reception was held outside in the Church's Courtyard Garden during which the Grand Master presented copies of the Jubilee Presentation Medal to the sculptor of the Medal, Mr. Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, the Keeper of Coins and Medals at the British Museum, Mr. Philip Attwood and the Keeper of Coins and Medals at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Mr. Adrian Popescu. The Grand Master also took the opportunity to thank Mr. Tim Fattorini for the wonderful work his company had done in striking the Medals and the Secretary General for his persistence and determination in seeing the project through. The members of the Priory are now looking forward very much to the Priory Investiture in October 2014 which will be attended by the Grand Master and Princess Brigitta as well as by the Grand Marshal HE Bailiff Harald Løvheim GCSJ OMSJ MSSJ who had also travelled to London for the Feast Day Celebrations, and the Grand Prior, HE Bailiff Alex Dalgleish GCSJ MMSJ.

The Priory of

England

Patronal Day

GM and Mr Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS

Members of the Priory joined, at the far left by the Reverend Canon Andrew Stevens and at the far right by the Grand Marshal

The high alter and reredos, St Margaret Lothbury

Mrs Doreen Keogh, the Secretary General HE Bailiff Alastair Redpath-

Stevens GCSJ OMSJ and the GM

The GM and HE Grand Dame HRH Princess Brigitta of Yugoslavia GDSJ

The GM and Mr Adrian Popescu

The Acting Chamberlain, Chevalier Robin Drawwater KCSJ attending on the Prior, HE

Grand Dame Elizabeth Carey-Sheill GDSJ

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PRIORY OF NSW INVESTITURE 14 JUNE 2014

St James King St Sydney, in the heart of the legal and Parliamentary district, was the venue for the Investiture of Tim Foster, Nathanael Primrose-Heaney and Wilson Wong as Knights of Honour. The Accolade was be-stowed by HE Conventual Bailiff Emeritus E A Rich GCSJ CMSJ MSSJ. Following the Investiture, Priory members and guests adjourned to Cello’s for the traditional celebratory lunch. Diplomas were issued to the newly-invested Knights by

the Acting Prior Chevalier Schon Condon RFD KCSJ. The Grand Hospitaller, HE Conven-tual Bailiff Fred Maestrelli GCSJ OMSJ, had the pleasant task of issu-ing promotion diplomas on behalf of the Grand Master, to Chevaliers Peter Shilton to Grand Cross of Justice, Schon Condon to Commander of Justice, John Posener to Knight of Justice, Geoff Bartels to Knight of Grace and Jason Li to

Knight of Grace. MAJ the Chevalier Rev. Rob Suther-land was recognised as being awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in HM the Queen’s Birthday

Honours, as was Mrs Cath-erine Barker for being awarded the Order of Aus-tralia Medal.

Chevalier Tim Foste

r

Chevalier Nathanael Heaney

Chevalier Wilson Wong

New Knights

Chevalier Schon Condon, Bailiff Fred

Maestrelli

Chevalier

Peter Shilton

and Grand

Hospitaller

Priory Members

4

Newly Invested Knights and Dames

The Priory of Qld Investiture Service was held on Friday evening, 13 June 2014 at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Brisbane. Eight Knights and Seven Dames were invested. It was a special night for the Gold Coast Commandery as Chevalier The Baron Andre von Zeppelin was elevated by HRH The Grand Master to Knight Grand Cross of Justice. And one of the Commandery's new investees BRIG. Rod West, CSC (former Commanding General, Joint Headquarters Transition Team – Iraq) was chosen as the valedictorian to respond on behalf of all new investees at the Banquet. Retiring Commander of Brisbane Commandery, Chevalier Commander Charles Clark was honoured by HRH The Grand Master with presentation of the Medal of Merit of St. John (MMSJ)

Investiture Priory of Queensland

Pictured is Chevalier

The Baron Andre von

Zeppelin receiving his

diploma from Prior

George Kearney and

Chamberlain Rob De

Martini

BRIG the Chevalier Rod West

5

PRIORY OF ST. MARGARET OF SCOTLAND The Priory of St. Margaret of Scotland held a Chapter Meeting on the evening of Saturday 21 June 2014. During the meeting Prior Lady McQuarrie GCSJ MMSJ presented two certificates to Bailiff Alex Dalgleish GCSJ MMSJ, the first to certify his appointment as Grand Prior of The United Kingdom, France and Ireland and the second to certify his elevation to the Rank of Bailiff. In addition to his position as Grand Prior, Alex will continue to serve the Priory in his role of Chan-cellor & Treasurer. Following this presentation Lady McQuarrie invited the Grand Prior to make the necessary proc-lamations in respect of two promotions: Chevalier Kenneth John McLachlan to the Rank of Knight Commander of Grace; and Chevalier James Stuart Watson to the Rank of Knight Commander of Grace. Congratulations were extended to both Knights on their well-deserved elevations. On the morning of Sunday 22 June 2014 the Priory celebrated the Feast of our Patron Saint at Ayr St Columba being the Church under the charge of Chevalier the Reverend Fraser Robert Ait-ken KSJ MA BD. During a most impressive Service the Reverend Fraser Aitken was inducted as Chaplain to the Priory by our Prelate the Reverend T Graeme Longmuir GCSJ MA(Oxon) BEd FASC. This induction was not only appreciated by our members but also by the very large con-gregation within the Church.

Grand Prior Alex Dal-

gleish congratulating

Chev Kenneth McLach-

lan on his promotion to

Knight Commander HE Grand Prior Alex Dalgleish and Prior Lady

McQuarrie

Prelate Graeme Longmuir, Prior

Lady McQuarrie & Chaplain

Fraser Aitken

Prior Lady McQuarrie con-

gratulating Chev Alex Dal-

gleish on elevation to Bailiff

and promotion to Grand Prior

-

Mrs Monica Dalgliesh and Grand Prior Alex

Dalgleish

6

On the Real Road to Ruin On 13 May 2014, a massive low-pressure system began to develop over a large area of South-eastern and Central Europe. Dubbed Cyclone Tamara, it had, by the 18 May, deluged Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina with the heaviest rainfall in 120 years of recorded weather measure-

ments, causing widespread destruction. In Serbia, the towns of Obrenovac, Sabac, and Svilajnac were quickly identified as those most brutally damaged by the floodwaters

Many individuals, organizations and nations both gave and prom-ised Aid immediately although the news and other media compa-nies around the world were more than slow in reporting this natural disaster. My wife and I set up an appeal, as did many others, in order to raise funds to provide vital supplies of food and fresh drinking water to those areas that had been worse hit. We will be forever grateful to all those who gave to our cause and we hope that we will be able to continue to contribute to the ongoing humanitarian efforts, which

will be needed for a very long time to come.

Obrenovac: 6 June 2014 I left for Serbia in order to see for myself the extent of the damage and to find out how we could be most effective in channeling aid into the worst hit areas. Our first stop was in the town of Obrenovac, about 30 kilometers southwest of the Serbian capital Belgrade, where some of the most devastating flooding took place. As we entered the town we were met by police and military personnel who advised us of the pos-sible health dangers of our visit due to the various bodies of water contaminated with faeces and other dangerous waste. Although the town authorities had been able to pump out hundreds of thousands of gallons of this effluent, it was reported that 6 areas of great danger still existed. Immediately on entering the town you are filled with a great feeling of foreboding. You can see that things are not right; the faces of the authorities are stern, preoccupied and concerned. It is like you are entering a town in the aftermath of a major nuclear disaster. The stench from the fumes and the stagnant water irritates your senses and, even after prolonged exposure, doesn't seem ever to go away. You worry that the flimsy facial masks that are being worn by the people are inadequate against airborne infections, but perhaps they offer some hope. We stopped off at a medical station that had been set up that morning in a tent. The staff were there to examine and advise some of the citizens who were drifting back to the town, hoping to identify what was left of their houses and possessions. I spoke to the doctor in charge. He told me that although it was a very emotional job, he and his colleagues had to focus on practical measures to prevent the spread of infection. They were also acting as an operational treatment centre for a variety of other medical conditions. As I looked around the area I could see pools of stagnant water lying only a few meters away. Across the road, the blocks of flats bordered one such pool which was alive with mosquitoes. There was a strong and unpleasant smell in the air that could only get worse as the temperature climbed to the mid-30's. On our way to the church, we passed the main hotel: even now it still acts as the crisis headquar-ters. The military have the main responsibility, as the whole area has been designated a disaster zone. At the church we were able to inspect the remaining supplies of fresh drinking water and other liquids that we had delivered the day before. Much of it had already been handed out. Without these supplies of fresh water and food, the citizens would face even greater risks of dis-ease and would starve. We then drove to the Town Hall to meet the Mayor of Obrenovac. As we entered the building we saw that the entire ground floor was ruined. The floor was covered in mud and littered with man-

7

gled and now useless office equipment, but otherwise empty. The walls were still saturated and in one or two rooms the water was still seeping out of the walls and ponding on the floors. On the stairs we saw many items of damaged furniture, which the workers had struggled to bring up from the ground floor in the hope of saving at least some of it. We were then met by the Mayor. Dressed in a tracksuit and trainers, he apologized for his infor-mal dress explaining that all his belongings had been ruined by the floods. Being involved hands-on all through the crisis, he had not been in a suit since the morning before the floods began. The Mayor told us how the catastrophe had unfolded. The thing that truly shocked me was the speed with which the floodwaters rose: a matter of some two hours. At one point, at the site of the football stadium, the water level was nine meters high. The slow pace at which the waters have receded has also created a big problem. Not only be-cause in some areas it was six days before anyone could walk around again, but also because soaring temperatures have combined to give rise to the very real danger of the spread of dis-

ease. For this reason the army has been quick to begin spraying the roads, ground and proper-ties with some very serious chemicals: almost as if it were a case of the lesser of two evils. Our next stop was at the main school in Obrenovac. Here we saw the marks of a massive and destructive force. The entire ground floor was damaged and many rooms were still full of con-taminated water and mud. The majority of the school's records were stored in a room on this floor and have been severely damaged. The authorities hope that after disinfection and a chemical drying process, some of the thousands of handwritten documents may be able to be copied and transferred to electronic files. We met up with a group of Polish volunteers who had come to help with the filthy job of cleaning out the effluent and mud. Such volunteers have meant that the enormous job of cleaning up has progressed more quickly than first imagined. The school director asked me to help her in collect-ing funds so that they could rebuild the school as quickly as possible in order not to cause any break in the vital schooling of the students. Leaving the town centre we made our way towards the outskirts of the town. It was here that we saw a picture of devastation straight out of a disaster film. The army had already been busy for several days throwing out all damaged possessions from the flooded houses onto the side of the roads. As brutal as this may seem, it is done in order to minimize the chances of fatal infections due to the amount of time these houses had been partially submerged in contaminated water. The sur-

8

rounding gar-dens and fields are also off-limits and in some of these we could still see small lakes of very danger-ous and infec-tious waters. The army told us that we would have to either chemi-cally clean our shoes or better st i l l , throw them away af-ter our visit to these areas. I was moved and saddened to see just how little protection

they themselves had because of the lack of equipment for dealing with these sorts of conditions. After visiting some 35 houses, which had been partially or completely damaged by the floods, we left Obrenovac for the town of Paracin.

Paracin: 6 June 2014 Paracin is a town which lies about 160 kilometers south of Belgrade. During the floods this town also saw some of the worst damage caused by the very fast and violent waters. Again, like in Obrenovac, the speed of the onslaught was incredible and we made our way to see the many marks of the aftermath. We were met here also by the town's Mayor and he explained the situation to us. The main town had been awaiting high waters and, of course, some flooding but as the River Crnica lies some 3.5 meters under the height of the river bank, it was never thought that the waters could rise to such a devastating extent. But they did! And the waters rose in a very short amount of time. We were introduced to the director of the Technical School, which lies only a few meters from the bank of the Crnica River. He was in the school at the time the waters broke over the riverbank and because the school itself lies some 2

One of the main roads into Svilajnac. One of the streets in the centre of Svilajnac

The morning after the rain had stopped (there is heating oil in the waters)

9

meters under the level of the riverbank it was like a tidal wave when the water began to rush in. The main doors of the school were literally blown in by the force of the deluge and the ground floor was under nearly 3 meters of water in just over ten minutes. Thank goodness all the stu-dents who were present joined the rush for the first floor, which luckily remained free of any wa-ter. Also like in Obrenovac, hundreds of homes and offices have been ruined at ground floor level by the flooding, with many families facing the prospect of having lost much or all of their possessions on that floor. The only luck in all this seems to be the speed with which the waters receded in the following days. This itself lessened the risk of any infection although the town also had to be chemically sprayed, but not to the extent of Obrenovac.

Flooding lower level of school

Being warned of infections from the dust

The toilet doors were removed by the force of the flood waters

10

We visited the local downtown area, which seems to have been able to start functioning again fairly well. The Mayor is proud to say that both power and water have been re-connected but for obvious safety reasons all citizens have been advised not to drink any tap water and to boil it for cleaning purposes. Cooking is also ad-vised with only bottled water for now. Many private houses had been hit very hard in the small streets in and around the town centre and here too we saw much of the furniture having to be thrown away in the majority of the 23 that we visited. The Mayor thanked us for our donation and delivery of humanitarian materials but pointed out that they are now in desperate need of vast sums of financial aid in order to rebuild the town. I was asked to accept the technological school as a project but it was clear that any help whatso-ever would be more than welcome.

Svilajnac: 7 June 2014 The next morning we made a very early start for the town of Svilajnac. Yet another town which saw some very bad flooding indeed. The question in writing this report is, how to avoid repeating myself every five minutes. The truth is that I can't! The destruction and/or damage that I saw in every town we visited was so similar in magnitude that one had to ask oneself which town one was in at that moment. Svilajnac was no exception to this. We met up with the vice-Mayor who took us to various areas of the town in order to show us the very slow process of rebuilding and the continued duties of cleaning up. She thanked me for our donation and also for the great efforts of the volunteers that we had arranged in Svilajnac just after the waters had receded enough to begin the cleaning op-erations. Like elsewhere, the Mayor pleaded with us for help in collecting serious amounts of funds in order to rebuild parts of the town that were damaged the most. Given the importance of education, it was no great surprise that we were taken to the local school again. The damage was as clear to see as in the other towns. The saving grace was that the wa-ters hit during the evening. Any earlier and there would have been 450 children in the school and, as the director openly admits, there could have been many fatalities. Having only the ground floor, however, teaching has come to a complete halt so it was identified as being in major need of immediate and substantial funds in order to rebuild as soon as possible. We went to see the private residence areas and were met with the very same situation as before. Some of the people had lost everything in their bungalows whilst others were blessed with two-storey houses. The estimated cost of the damage for Svilajnac alone is 25 million Euros

One of the very unpleasant points about the flooding in Svilajnac was the fact that major supplies of heating oil were mixed with the floodwaters, adding to the extent of the damage and later pro-ducing a vile stench in the air around the town. Sadly, this contamination means that many gar-

Five days after the rain had stopped the water mark clearly visible on the wall One week after the rain had stopped

11

dens and agricultural land will have to be inspected before there can be the production of any-thing edible. It is estimated that 350,000 litres of oil flowed into the water in the street in the pic-ture of the yellow house and the white van alone.

Topola Topola is a town about 80 kilometers south of Belgrade. It is the town in which my family has our Church and mausoleum. It is also the town where the floods claimed their first victim with the drowning of the fireman, Dejan Lazarevic, during rescue missions that were in operation through-out that day. Out of all the towns we visited over the two days, Topola might at first appear to have been one of the lucky ones as far as property damage goes, but in the cost to life the floods have left their mark in more ways than one. Although the damage factor cannot be so readily seen as one en-ters the town, it does not take much hunting around to discover the many houses and other struc-tures that have sustained various degrees of damage. The most serious (and expensive) of these is the vital bridge which connects the nearby town of Blaznava to other regional villages and towns including Topola. This bridge was hit with such force that the foundations have suffered irreparable damage and it must be knocked down and rebuilt. To give an idea of the volume of water involved, the normal width of the river is approx 20 meters and it is usually a meter or two in height. On the day of the flooding the river swelled to a width of 180 meters and a height of 4.5 meters! We went to visit the family of the late Dejan Lazarevic and pay our respects. The courage of the family can only be matched with that of the late father of two. He was trying to get out of the tor-rent, after saving a man who fell into the river, when the buckle on his harness failed due to the force of the water and he was swept down river. His body was only found four days later when the waters receded. When we met the Mayor of Topola we were told that sadly many livestock were lost here too, as is the case elsewhere in the floods. As these animals were the sole livelihoods of many of the vil-lagers, there is a great question as to how they will now make their living or manage financially in general. We left a series of donations but in truth these were mere drops of water in an ocean of needs, no matter how welcome!

Conclusion Words will never be able to express my gratitude to all those who have given their support to my appeal. I ended up taking a sum of over 20,000 Euros to Serbia and I still have a feeling of utter despair, despite having been able to cover a lot of immediate humanitarian needs with this amount. The simple truth is that this thing is massive. More massive than even I could imagine. Adding up all the conservative amounts of costs in each town, I came to a figure of some 250 - 300 million Euros just to cover the initial repairs and rebuilding. It is like standing before a five-mile-deep pit with a ten-foot ladder but, as with the joke about how do you eat an elephant? It is a case of a bite at a time! This is exactly how we are going to have to face our challenges in my homeland over the coming years: a bite at a time. In this way I would appeal to you all to continue to do what you can in or-der to support my beloved Serbia and her peoples in rebuilding the properties that have been damaged and the lives that have been affected by the recent floods. Thank you all once again for your wonderful response and caring reactions! God bless you!

GRAND MASTER

12

GRAND PRIORY OF SCANDINAVIA

INVESTITURE Members of the Priories of Denmark and Nor-way and their guests gathered at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in a very hot and sunny Copen-hagen on 24 May 2014 for the Grand Priory of Scandinavia Investiture. Many stayed at the ho-tel, which is the work of the celebrated designer Arne Jacobsen and perfectly positioned close to Tivoli Gardens and Central Station. The Investiture was conducted by the Grand Commander, HE Conventual Bailiff Anthony Sheill GCSJ CMSJ MSSJ and Meritorious Ser-vice Medals were presented on behalf of the Grand Master by the Ambassador to the United Kingdom, HE Bailiff Alastair Redpath-Stevens GCSJ OMSJ. At the Investiture Banquet, the Grand Marshal, HE Bailiff Harald Løvheim GCSJ OMSJ MSSJ, presented the Grand Commander with a large portrait painted by Chev. Odd Borre Sorensen, KCSJ . The Grand Commander expressed his gratitude to the Grand Priory and explained that it was now very clear to him why the Registrar General had been so keen to take a series of photographs from various odd angles! The Grand Prior, HE Bailiff Morten Skolmo GCSJ, expressed his thanks to everyone for attending the Investiture before confirming that he would be standing down in the late Autumn. He was warmly thanked for all of the work that he had done for the Grand Priory before it was announced that the Grand Master had ap-proved the appointment of the current Prior of Denmark, Chevalier Poul Heile Pedersen, as his successor. The award, had there been one, for the person who had travelled the longest distance to attend would surely have gone to Chevalier Barnie McKinnon KSJ, from the Independent Priory of New South Wales. Despite the long distance, his humour and enthusiasm were as cracking as his shirts. This was the second Investiture in Copenhagen and it was every bit as good as the first. Long may the tradition continue and the Grand Priory of Scandinavia flourish.

In the foreground the Prior of Denmark

The new investees

The Registrar General and the Grand Commander share a

moment

Fr. Claes delivering the homily

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Priory of France The Priory of France held its Patronal Feast Day at the his-toric Lérins Abbey, a Cistercian Monastery on the island of Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands on the French Rivi-era. The original monastery was founded by Saint Honoratus in about 410 AD although the current buildings date from the late eleventh to fourteenth centuries. It had been Saint Honoratus' intention to lead an eremitic lifestyle, but he was soon joined by so companions that a cenobium devel-oped. The monastery was disestablished in 1787 and the island became the property of the state. It was later bought by the Bishop of Fréjus in 1859 and within 10 years he had founded the monastic community that remains to this day.

Priory of Victoria

On Saturday 15 February 2014 a Garden Party was hosted by Chevalier Enrico Bettoni KSJ & Dame Elisabeth Bettoni DSJ, at their home with all proceeds raised in aid of The Mother and Child Relief Fund (OSJ). The Priory of Victoria helped the St. John The Baptist Association cele-brate the Patronal Feast of the Saint on Sunday 22 June. Members of the Priory are always invited to attend and take part in the procession. The Investiture Service this year will be held at Melbourne University Trinity College Chapel on Friday 11 July. The Officiant will be the Con-ventual Chaplain Chevalier The Right Rev. John Parkes AM KCSJ, Bishop of Wangaratta. Knights, Dames family and guests will enjoy the Banquet which follows at University House.

Melbourne University Trin-

ity College Chapel

14

SENIOR OFFICERS OF THE ORDER

HE Conventual Bailiff Emeritus E A Rich GCSJ CMSJ MSSJ

Edward Anthony “Tony” Rich was born on 10 June 1927 at Marrickville Sydney, the eldest son of James Rich and Winifred Keeble, who migrated to Australia from England after serving in the 10

th Hampshire Regiment in World War I.

Tony grew up on the 2000 acre property “East Rossgole” near Aberdeen, where his father was employed as a station hand. The family were impacted severely in the Great Depression when the property owner stated he was unable to pay his staff, so Tony’s father had little choice but to stay on the farm and work for free. At night, his mother and father would set rabbit traps around the property and sell the catch to feed the family. At age seven Tony left home to attend boarding school in the Hunter Valley. He was quickly identified by the nuns as a “rebel” and fre-quently found himself on the wrong end of the cane. While the punishments and experiences were harsh, Tony was grateful to the nuns for teaching him discipline and how to look after himself: lessons that would later set him in good stead for a life in the army.

At 16, Tony gained employment as a Jackaroo on “Cambo Cambo” with J.H. Doyle Estates, a 15,000 acre property at Collarenebri in New South Wales, running 4000 sheep. It was tough work: up at 5am to milk cows and prep. horses, working the land during the day, and then bal-ing wool until midnight during a shearer’s strike. He earned 1 pound a week. Still he enjoyed his time there and after a year he was rewarded with a 5 shilling raise. After two years at “Cambo Cambo” Tony returned home to work with his father as an Overseer. It was an enjoy-able time in his life. With a tennis court next to the house, friends gathered on Sundays for matches. Tony also loved playing cards. Each week he would saddle up and ride 8 miles to a friend’s place to play. It was on one of these occasions that he was introduced to his future wife. In 1948, aged 21, Tony married Gloria Gordon and four years later their daughter Vivienne was born. He joined the Military Forces part-time and spent 6 years managing properties around Blayney, Wellington and Parkes districts and, working on his wife’s family farms, as a cattle and sheep breeder. In 1957 Tony and his sec-ond wife Rosemary welcomed a son Anthony. Tony joined the Regular Army in 1957 at the age of 30. Following recruit training in Kapooka, he completed Corp Training at the School of Artillery North Head and was posted to the Corp Training Wing as a Technical Storeman. After two years he was posted to the Artillery Wing at the Royal Military College Duntroon in Canberra where he served for three years before applying to the Military Police. Tony joined the Military Police South Head based at Watsons Bay in 1963, completing courses and training to be-come a Staff Sergeant and then Warrant Offi-cer. In 1969, with the war in Vietnam escalating, Tony underwent 3 weeks of battle training then boarded a plane with 120 troops for a tour of duty, posted to the Australia Forces Provost Unit Vung Tau South Vietnam. The next 12 months proved to Tony how wrong they were to go to Vietnam. He left feeling that at the end of the day they had achieved nothing other than to ruin a lot of lives and destroy a beautiful coun-try. He was proud to have been to Vietnam but

15

sorry that he did not help to achieve a better way of life for the Vietnamese people. For his service Tony received the Vietnam Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Medal, Defence Force Service Medal and Ac-tive Service Medal 1945-1976. He also received a Mention in Dispatches and Letter of Commen-dation from Commander Australian Forces Viet-nam. Tony returned to Melbourne after Vietnam and was posted with the Military Police to CMP Unit 1 Comm Z Provost Company in Victoria as a Quartermaster, before being promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2. He served at various districts, including 3 MP Coy and 55 MP PL in Perth, where he took a job as a Platoon Sergeant Major. He enjoyed travelling around Western Australia, north to the outback Pilbara and south to Albany. He could have retired there but with family in Melbourne he applied to be posted back to the east coast, before being discharged in 1979 aged 52 years. When he returned to civilian life, Tony utilised his military police skills by becoming the Ar-moured Car Division supervisor for Mayne Nicholas in Melbourne. He spent three years in this role before moving back to Sydney, where he bought a Newsagency in Eagle House, Mil-sons Point which he sold two years later. In 1984 Tony purchased a Farm Holidays Agency which he ran in partnership with wife Rosemary. The business involved arranging farm stays for people on working farms all across Australia. It was necessary to travel to the farms to check their suitability, so the couple spent 4 years travelling around meeting farmers and visiting farms in every state, making a lot of friends along the way. Tony retired in 2000. In 1983 Tony became a Serving Brother of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller, Commandery of NSW and a year later was invested as a Knight of Honour in the Priory of NSW. He has since held every office in the Priory. In 1999 Tony became Prior of NSW, a position he held for 8 years. During his term of office as Prior in NSW, Tony was instrumental in increasing the fundraising efforts of the Priory and embarking on a succes-

sion programme by appointing suitable younger members to management positions within the Priory. During Tony’s term as Prior, some $220,000 were raised for donations to cancer and diabe-tes research and many smaller beneficiaries. Most notable was the Priory assistance to the Westmead Research Hub in acquiring an Illu-mina® Bead Station 500G Genotyping System (The Illumina 500 Project), successfully raising $120,000 to assist in the purchase of this vital equipment. In 2004 Tony was appointed a Bailiff Knight Grand Cross. Toward the end of his term as Prior he helped organise and host the Sover-eign Council Meeting held in Sydney in Septem-ber 2007. At the Council he was appointed a member of the Le Petit Conseil, the Governing body of the Order worldwide, with the rank of Conventual Bailiff, and held the position of Grand Chancellor then Grand Marshal until 2010. He returned to the position of Grand Chancellor from 2010-2012. Tony has been awarded the Medal of Merit, Medal of Merit with Crown and the Meritorious Service Medal for 25 year’s service. In 2012 Tony was appointed to conduct investitures in NSW and the ACT with the rank of HE Conventual Bailiff Emeritus. In late 2013 Tony retired to country Victoria where he is enjoying a more relaxed and healthier lifestyle than was possible in suburban Sydney. Tony is looking for sponsorship from his many

friends within the Order as he has entered "The

Age Run Melbourne" and on 27 July, will make

the 5 km walk to raise money for the Grand

Master's Serbia Flood Relief Ap-

peal. Sponsorship may be made by direct

credit to the Bendigo Bank BSB 633000 - ac-

count number 150084838.

16

ELEVATIONS 2014 Congratulations to all the Knights and Dames who have had their contribution to the Order recognised by the Grand Master.

VALE LTCOL THE CHEVALIER

JOHN DE TELIGA KCSJ

With the passing of LTCOL the Chevalier John De Teliga, KCSJ on Wednes-day, 2 July 2014, the Gold Coast Commandery has lost one of its most stal-wart supporters. A man whose character and social skills were cher-ished by many, he brought life into any discussion with a well timed comment: forceful, but inoffensive, and always laced with a dash of good humour. This rare skill, honed by a back-ground of achievement and people management, was part of his nature and made those in his com-pany feel immediately at ease. His war service (1942-1946), included 505 days in New Guinea. An infan-tryman, sniper, range-taker, and mortarman, and finally peacekeeper, he passed through the ranks from Private to Lieutenant Colonel, but in his own words, was just part of the 80% of Aussie diggers who were good soldiers. John was born in Sydney and educated at St. John’s, Campbelltown and Waverly College. He graduated from Sydney University with a Bache-lor of Science Degree in Chemistry, Geology and Management. This and his postgraduate studies in chemical engineering meant he was well equipped for his subse-quent employment as Cus-toms Analyst in Sydney; Analyst for Labs. in Aust. Aluminium Production Commission in Bell Bay Tasmania; Chief Chemist for British Nylon Spinners in Melbourne; Laboratory Manager and Manager of Central Science Services

Dept. Aust. Consolidated Industries Sydney; and Patents Examiner, Can-berra. Along the way he became a Foundation Member of the Australian and New Zealand Assn. for Ad-vancement of Science; Honorary Chairman of the Visiting Committee to the School of Chemistry, Uni-versity of NSW. Honorary Life Member of the Sydney University Union; a Mem-ber of the Assn. of Profes-sional Scientists; and a Member of the Australian American Assn. John's wife, Jo, was born in Cardiff, Wales, and lived through The Blitz before attending Cardiff Business Collage for Secretarial Training. Jo first met John when he spent time with British Nylon Spinners in Pontypool. Some 20 years after their first meeting John sent her a letter, and from then on they corre-sponded regularly. Jo came to Canberra, and they married in 1978. The couple led a busy life in Australia, joining many organisations. Over the past 30 years John and Jo have made yearly charitable and phil-anthropic visits to Christian endeavours in the United Kingdom and Europe. John was invested into the Order in June 2004, and honoured by HRH The Grand Master in 2013 by elevation to the rank of Knight Commander of Grace. Chevalier John is survived by Jo, a son and two daughters. An Order Me-morial Service will, by gra-cious permission of the Grand Master, be held in honour of John's life in August.

DENMARK Rasmussen Carl KG Kjergaard Kathrine DCG NORWAY Carlsen Carl Andreas KG Foldvik Fred KG Stave Sven KG Walther Tore KG Westby Bjorn Ole KG Olsen Hilde Mari DG Westby Liv Mona DG Christiansen Jarle KCG NEW SOUTH WALES Bartels Geoffrey KG Li Jason KG Posener John KJ Condon Schon KCJ Shilton Peter KGCJ QUEENSLAND Airey Ian Lintern KG Clarke Shireen DCG Fisher John Maxwell KCG Flanagan Richard KCG Freeman David Harold KG Haliday Michael Joseph KG O’Rourke Michael KG

O’Shea Leanne Joan DG Roberts Peter William KG Savage William Russell KG Wright Bruce KG Wright Jamie Turner KG Taylor Mollie Lois DCG Haire James KGCH Noack Noel Henry KGCH Hart Robin Byrne KJ Russell Ian Murray KJ Rees David Thomas KCJ Von Zeppelin Andre KGCJ Clark Charles MMSJ Hough Shane OMSJ Hough Sallyanne CMSJ Sellars Robert PRIOR EMERITUS SCOTLAND Watson James Stuart KCG McLachlan Kenneth KCJ WSTERN AUSTRALIA Munro William KG Williams Ken KG Basanovic Mara DCG Edwards Jeremy KCJ

The book by Chevalier The Reverend Dr David

Duchesne GCHSJ MSSJ, on the early develop-

ment of the Order and the Hospitaller Brothers,

is a compelling read and should be included in

your “Bucket List”.

Copies are still available at an affordable cost of:

$A40.00 if posted within Australia; and

$A55.00 if posted outside Australia.

Email: fcmrandk@optusnet.com.au

to obtain your copy.