List of Knights and Dames of the Order of Australia

Badge of a Knight and a Dame of the Order of Australia

This is a list of knights and dames of the Order of Australia.

History

The Order of Australia is the only Australian order of chivalry, although certain dynastic British orders of chivalry, such as the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle and the Royal Victorian Order, may still be awarded to Australians by the monarch of Australia. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia, Gough Whitlam, to recognise Australian citizens and other persons for achievement, meritorious service, or for both. At its establishment, the Order of Australia included three grades: companion (AC), officer (AO) and member (AM), and two divisions: civil and military.

On 24 May 1976, the grades of knight (AK) and dame (AD), and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), were established by the monarch on the advice of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, and the Civil Division was renamed the General Division. Knight and Dame of the Order of Australia superseded Companion of the Order as the highest grade, however Knight and Dame are only awarded in the General Division of the Order.

Recipients who are not Australian citizens may be appointed honorary knights or dames,[1] although no such appointments have yet been made.

On 14 March 1981 the Queen co-signed Letters Patent amending the Constitution of the Order of Australia to create her son, the heir to the Australian throne, HRH Charles, Prince of Wales a knight of the Order of Australia.[2] This procedure was necessary as Prince Charles, not being an Australian citizen, would not otherwise have qualified for a substantive knighthood and would have been eligible only for an honorary award.

Following the 1983 election, Prime Minister Bob Hawke advised the abolition of the knight and dame grades. On 3 March 1986, the Monarch co-signed Letters Patent revoking the categories of knight and dame – existing knights and dames were not affected by this change.

Following his election in 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott advised the Queen to reinstate the categories of dame and knight. On 19 March 2014, the Queen co-signed Letters Patent to bring this into effect,[3] although no announcement of this change was made until 25 March. At that time it was also announced that the Governor-General would be the Principal Knight or Dame of the Order;[1] the incumbent but outgoing governor-general, Quentin Bryce, was immediately made a Dame of the Order, and the new governor-general, General Peter Cosgrove, became a Knight immediately upon his swearing-in on 28 March.

On 7 January 2015 the Queen co-signed Letters Patent that created her consort HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh a Knight of the Order of Australia, on the same basis as applied to Prince Charles in 1981.[4] This award was publicly announced in the Australia Day Honours list of 26 January 2015, along with the knighthood of Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, former Chief of the Defence Force.

On 2 November 2015, Abbott's successor as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that the categories of knight and dame in the Order of Australia would again be discontinued, although existing holders of the titles would not be affected.[5][6] The Queen amended the Constitution of the Order by Letters Patent signed on 29 October, and the amendment was gazetted on 22 December 2015.[7]

Knights and Dames of the Order of Australia

NameBornDied Notability Awarded[8] Notes
KNIGHTS
Sir John Kerr AK, GCMG, GCVO24 Sep 191424 Mar 1991Governor-General (1974–77); previously a Companion of the Order24 May 1976 O[9][10]
Sir Robert Menzies KT, AK, CH, QC20 Dec 189415 May 1978Prime Minister (1939–41, 1949–66)7 Jun 1976 Q[11]
Sir Colin Syme AK[12]22 Apr 190319 Jan 1986Industrialist6 Jun 1977 Q[13]
Sir Zelman Cowen AK, GCMG, GCVO, QC, PC7 Oct 19198 Dec 2011Governor-General (1977–82)8 Dec 1977 O[14]
Sir MacFarlane Burnet OM, AK, KBE3 Sep 189931 Aug 1985Virologist, Nobel Prize laureate26 Jan 1978 A[15]
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales KG, KT, GCB, OM, AK, QSO, PC14 Nov 1948living (age 69)Heir apparent to the Australian throne14 Mar 1981[16]
Sir Roden Cutler VC, AK, KCMG, KCVO, CBE24 May 191622 Feb 2002Decorated soldier, diplomat, and longest-serving Governor of New South Wales (1966–81)7 Apr 1981[17]
Sir Garfield Barwick AK, GCMG, QC22 Jun 190314 Jul 1997Attorney-General of Australia (1958–64); Minister for External Affairs (1961–64); Chief Justice of Australia (1964–81)8 Jun 1981 Q[18]
Sir Charles Court AK, KCMG, OBE29 Sep 191122 Dec 2007Premier of Western Australia (1974–82)14 Jun 1982 Q[19]
Sir Ninian Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, PC, QC15 Jun 192329 Oct 2017High Court Judge (1972–82), Governor-General (1982–89)29 Jul 1982 O[20]
Sir Roy Wright AK7 Aug 190728 Feb 1990Physiologist26 Jan 1983 A[21]
Sir Gordon Jackson AK5 May 19241 Jun 1991Industrialist; previously a Companion of the Order13 Jun 1983 Q[22]
General Sir Peter Cosgrove AK, MC28 Jul 1947living (age 71)Chief of the Defence Force (2002–05), Governor-General (2014–), also a Companion of the Order (Military Division)28 Mar 2014 O[23]
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT, OM, AK, GCVO, GBE, ONZ, GCL, QSO, CC, CMM, CD, PC10 Jun 1921living (age 97)Prince consort to the Queen of Australia, also a Companion of the Order (Military Division)7 Jan 2015 A[4][24]
Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC9 Jun 1947living (age 71)Chief of the Defence Force (2005–11), also a Companion of the Order (Military Division)26 Jan 2015 A[25]
DAMES
Dame Alexandra Hasluck AD26 Aug 190818 Jun 1993Author, historian and vice-regal consort6 Jun 1978 Q[26]
Dame Enid Lyons AD, GBE9 Jul 18972 Sep 1981First woman elected to the House of Representatives; first woman appointed to the federal Cabinet26 Jan 1980 A[27]
Dame Quentin Bryce AD, CVO 23 Dec 1942living (age 75)Governor of Queensland (2003–08), Governor-General (2008–14); previously a Companion of the Order25 Mar 2014 O[28]
Dame Marie Bashir AD, CVO 1 Dec 1930living (age 87)Governor of New South Wales (2001–14); previously a Companion of the Order9 Jun 2014 Q[29]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Order of Australia" (PDF). Ninth Edition, 2009. Issued by the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General, Government House, Canberra.
  2. ↑ Amendments to the Constitution of the Order of Australia to make The Prince of Wales a Knight of the Order, 14 March 1981 - refer Letters Patent dated 7 January 2015.
  3. ↑ Amendments to the Constitution of the Order of Australia to reinstate appointments of Knights and Dames, 19 March 2014, comlaw.gov.au. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 Amendments to the Constitution of the Order of Australia to make Prince Philip a Knight of the Order, 7 January 2015, comlaw.gov.au. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Malcolm Turnbull scraps Tony Abbott's Knights and Dames". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Knights and dames removed from Order of Australia by Malcolm Turnbull". The Guardian. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Australian Government, Federal Register of Legislation. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Date Awarded
    A = Australia Day List (26 January)
    Q = Queen's Birthday List (Second Monday in June)
    O = On assuming office as Governor-General, (or in the case of John Kerr and Quentin Bryce, on establishment / restoration of the grade of Dame / Knight).
  9. ↑ Sir John Kerr was the Governor-General and Principal Companion of the Order when the grade of Dame / Knight was established; his knighthood took effect immediately
  10. ↑ John Kerr
  11. ↑ Robert Menzies
  12. ↑ Colin Syme had previously been knighted as a Knight Bachelor, which carries no postnominal.
  13. ↑ Colin Syme
  14. ↑ Zelman Cowen
  15. ↑ Macfarlane Burnet
  16. ↑ Prince Charles
  17. ↑ Roden Cutler
  18. ↑ Garfield Barwick
  19. ↑ Charles Court
  20. ↑ Ninian Stephen
  21. ↑ Roy Wright
  22. ↑ Gordon Jackson
  23. ↑ Gen Cosgrove was previously a Companion of the Order in the Military Division prior to his appointment as Governor-General
  24. ↑ Prince Philip was previously a Companion of the Order in the Military Division prior to his appointment. Like his son Prince Charles, Letters Patent amending the Constitution of the Order of Australia were required for him to become a substantive knight.
  25. ↑ Angus Houston
  26. ↑ Alexandra Hasluck
  27. ↑ Enid Lyons
  28. ↑ Quentin Bryce was the Governor-General and Principal Companion of the Order when the grade of Dame / Knight was re-established; her knighthood took effect immediately
  29. ↑ Marie Bashir
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