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
Volume 1 Issue 1
July 2014
Editor:
H.E. Conventual Bailiff
Fred Maestrelli GCSJ OMSJ
Grand Hospitaller
P.O. Box 192
Penshurst NSW 2222
AUSTRALIA
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 Master has also been
pleased to bestow the
Cross of Merit with
Crown on Dame
Sallyanne Hough DCSJ
CMSJ. The medals and
diplomas will be presented in London in July
2014.
Grand Master’s Serbian Flood Appeal
“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 BosniaHerzegovina 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!
HRH Prince Karl Vladimir
Karadjordjevic of Yugoslavia GCSJ
Vladimir and Brigitta Karadjordjevic”
Donations are still urgently needed and can be made by visiting this web page.
http://www.gofundme.com/993b3c
Editor
Inside this issue:
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 Scandinavia
6
12
Priories of France and
Victoria
Senior Officers
13
Vale
Elevations
Book
14
16
1
Members of the Priory joined, at the far left by the Reverend Canon
Andrew Stevens and at the far right by the Grand Marshal
GM and Mr Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS
Mrs Doreen Keogh, the Secretary
General HE Bailiff Alastair RedpathStevens GCSJ OMSJ and the GM
The GM and Mr Adrian
Popescu
The high alter and reredos, St Margaret
Lothbury
The Acting Chamberlain, Chevalier Robin
Drawwater KCSJ attending on the Prior, HE
Grand Dame Elizabeth Carey-Sheill GDSJ
The Priory of
England
Patronal Day
The GM and HE Grand Dame HRH
Princess Brigitta of Yugoslavia GDSJ
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 London. 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 RobertsJones 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.
2
ghts
ni
ew K
N
Priory Members
PRIORY OF NSW INVESTITURE
14 JUNE 2014
i
rT
lie
eva
er
ost
F
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Ch
Che
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ilson
Won
g
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 bestowed 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.
Chevalier Nathanael Heaney
The Grand Hospitaller, HE Conventual Bailiff Fred Maestrelli GCSJ
OMSJ, had the pleasant task of issuing 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.
Chevalier Schon Condon, Bailiff Fred
MAJ the Chevalier Rev. Rob SutherMaestrelli
land was recognised as being
awarded the Conspicuous Service
Cross in HM the Queen’s Birthday
Honours, as
was Mrs Catherine Barker
for being
awarded the
Order of Australia Medal.
Chevalier
Peter Shilton
and Grand
Hospitaller
3
Pictured is Chevalier
The Baron Andre von
Zeppelin receiving his
diploma from Prior
George Kearney and
Chamberlain Rob De
Martini
Newly Invested Knights and Dames
BRIG the Chevalier Rod West
Investiture
Priory of Queensland
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)
4
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 Chancellor & Treasurer.
Following this presentation Lady McQuarrie invited the Grand Prior to make the necessary proclamations 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 Aitken 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 congregation within the Church.
Prior Lady McQuarrie congratulating Chev Alex Dalgleish on elevation to Bailiff
and promotion to Grand Prior
Prelate Graeme Longmuir, Prior
Lady McQuarrie & Chaplain
Fraser Aitken
Mrs Monica Dalgliesh and Grand Prior Alex
Dalgleish
HE Grand Prior Alex Dalgleish and Prior Lady
McQuarrie
Grand Prior Alex Dalgleish congratulating
Chev Kenneth McLachlan on his promotion to
Knight Commander
5
On the Real Road to Ruin
On 13 May 2014, a massive low-pressure system began to develop over a large area of Southeastern 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 measurements, 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 promised Aid immediately although the news and other media companies 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 possible 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 headquarters. 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 disease 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 man6
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 informal dress explaining that all his belongings had been ruined by the floods. Being involved handson 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 because 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 properties 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 contaminated 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 collecting 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 sur7
One of the main roads into Svilajnac.
One of the streets in the centre of Svilajnac
rounding gardens and fields
are also offlimits and in
some of these
we could still
see small lakes
of very dangerous and infectious waters.
The army told
us that we
would have to
either chemically clean our
shoes or better
st ill,
th ro w
them away after our visit to
these areas. I
was
moved
The morning after the rain had stopped (there is heating oil in the waters)
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
8
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 students who were present joined the rush for the first floor, which luckily remained free of any water.
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.
Being warned of infections from the dust
Flooding lower level of school
The toilet doors were removed by the force of the flood waters
9
Five days after the rain had stopped the water mark clearly visible on the wall
One week after the rain had stopped
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 reconnected 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 advised 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 whatsoever 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 operations. 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 waters 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 twostorey 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 producing a vile stench in the air around the town. Sadly, this contamination means that many gar10
dens and agricultural land will have to be inspected before there can be the production of anything edible. It is estimated that 350,000 litres of oil flowed into the water in the street in the picture 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 throughout 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 enters the town, it does not take much hunting around to discover the many houses and other structures 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 torrent, 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 villagers, 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 fivemile-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 order 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
11
GRAND PRIORY
OF SCANDINAVIA
INVESTITURE
In the foreground the Prior of Denmark
Members of the Priories of Denmark and Norway and their guests gathered at the Radisson
Blu Royal Hotel in a very hot and sunny Copenhagen on 24 May 2014 for the Grand Priory of
Scandinavia Investiture. Many stayed at the hotel, 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 Service 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 approved the appointment of the current Prior of
Denmark, Chevalier Poul Heile Pedersen, as
his successor.
Fr. Claes delivering the homily
The new investees
The Registrar General and the Grand Commander share a
moment
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.
12
Priory of France
The Priory of France held its Patronal Feast Day at the historic Lérins Abbey, a Cistercian Monastery on the island of
Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands on the French Riviera.
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 developed. 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
Melbourne University Trinity College Chapel
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 celebrate 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 Conventual 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.
13
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 baling 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 enjoyable 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.
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 10th 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 frequently 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.
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 second 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 become a Staff Sergeant and then Warrant Officer.
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 country. He was proud to have been to Vietnam but
14
sorry that he did not help to achieve a better
way of life for the Vietnamese people.
sion programme by appointing suitable younger
members to management positions within the
Priory.
During Tony’s term as Prior, some $220,000
For his service Tony received the Vietnam
were raised for donations to cancer and diabeMedal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National
tes research and many smaller beneficiaries.
Medal, Defence Force Service Medal and Active Service Medal 1945-1976. He also received Most notable was the Priory assistance to the
a Mention in Dispatches and Letter of Commen- Westmead Research Hub in acquiring an Illudation from Commander Australian Forces Viet- mina® Bead Station 500G Genotyping System
(The Illumina 500 Project), successfully raising
nam.
$120,000 to assist in the purchase of this vital
Tony returned to Melbourne after Vietnam and equipment.
was posted with the Military Police to CMP Unit
In 2004 Tony was appointed a Bailiff Knight
1 Comm Z Provost Company in Victoria as a
Grand Cross. Toward the end of his term
Quartermaster, before being promoted to the
as Prior he helped organise and host the Soverrank of Warrant Officer Class 2. He served at
various districts, including 3 MP Coy and 55 MP eign Council Meeting held in Sydney in September 2007. At the Council he was appointed a
PL in Perth, where he took a job as a Platoon
member of the Le Petit Conseil, the Governing
Sergeant Major. He enjoyed travelling around
Western Australia, north to the outback Pilbara body of the Order worldwide, with the rank of
Conventual Bailiff, and held the position of
and south to Albany. He could have retired
there but with family in Melbourne he applied to Grand Chancellor then Grand Marshal until
be posted back to the east coast, before being 2010. He returned to the position of Grand
Chancellor from 2010-2012. Tony has been
discharged in 1979 aged 52 years.
awarded the Medal of Merit, Medal of Merit with
Crown and the Meritorious Service Medal for 25
When he returned to civilian life, Tony utilised
year’s service. In 2012 Tony was appointed to
his military police skills by becoming the Arconduct investitures in NSW and the ACT with
moured Car Division supervisor for Mayne
Nicholas in Melbourne. He spent three years in the rank of HE Conventual Bailiff Emeritus.
this role before moving back to Sydney, where
he bought a Newsagency in Eagle House, Mil- In late 2013 Tony retired to country Victoria
where he is enjoying a more relaxed and
sons Point which he sold two years later.
healthier lifestyle than was possible in suburban
Sydney.
In 1984 Tony purchased a Farm Holidays
Agency which he ran in partnership with wife
Tony is looking for sponsorship from his many
Rosemary. The business involved arranging
farm stays for people on working farms all
friends within the Order as he has entered "The
across Australia. It was necessary to travel to
Age Run Melbourne" and on 27 July, will make
the farms to check their suitability, so the couple the 5 km walk to raise money for the Grand
spent 4 years travelling around meeting farmers
Master's Serbia Flood Relief Apand visiting farms in every state, making a lot of
peal. Sponsorship may be made by direct
friends along the way. Tony retired in 2000.
credit to the Bendigo Bank BSB 633000 - acIn 1983 Tony became a Serving Brother of the count number 150084838.
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 succes15
VALE
LTCOL THE
CHEVALIER
JOHN DE TELIGA
KCSJ
With the passing of LTCOL
the Chevalier John De
Teliga, KCSJ on Wednesday, 2 July 2014, the Gold
Coast Commandery has
lost one of its most stalwart supporters.
A man whose character
and social skills were cherished 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 background of achievement
and people management,
was part of his nature and
made those in his company feel immediately at
ease.
His war service (19421946), included 505 days
in New Guinea. An infantryman, sniper, rangetaker, 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 Bachelor of Science Degree in
Chemistry, Geology and
Management. This and his
postgraduate studies in
chem ical engineering
meant he was well
equipped for his subsequent employment as Customs 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
ELEVATIONS 2014
Industries Sydney; and Congratulations to all the Knights and Dames who have
Patents Examiner, Can- had their contribution to the Order recognised by the
berra.
Grand Master.
Along the way he became
DENMARK
O’Shea Leanne Joan DG
a Foundation Member of
Rasmussen Carl KG
Roberts Peter William KG
the Australian and New
Kjergaard Kathrine DCG
Savage William Russell KG
Zealand Assn. for AdNORWAY
Wright Bruce KG
vancement of Science;
Carlsen Carl Andreas KG
Wright Jamie Turner KG
Honorary Chairman of the
Foldvik Fred KG
Taylor Mollie Lois DCG
Visiting Committee to the
Stave Sven KG
Haire James KGCH
School of Chemistry, UniWalther Tore KG
Noack Noel Henry KGCH
versity of NSW. Honorary
Westby Bjorn Ole KG
Hart Robin Byrne KJ
Olsen Hilde Mari DG
Russell Ian Murray KJ
Life Member of the Sydney
Westby Liv Mona DG
Rees David Thomas KCJ
University Union; a MemChristiansen Jarle KCG
Von Zeppelin Andre KGCJ
ber of the Assn. of ProfesNEW SOUTH WALES
Clark Charles MMSJ
sional Scientists; and a
Bartels Geoffrey KG
Hough Shane OMSJ
Member of the Australian
Li Jason KG
Hough Sallyanne CMSJ
American Assn.
Posener John KJ
Sellars Robert PRIOR
John's wife, Jo, was born
Condon Schon KCJ
EMERITUS
in Cardiff, Wales, and lived
SCOTLAND
Shilton Peter KGCJ
through The Blitz before
QUEENSLAND
Watson James Stuart KCG
Airey Ian Lintern KG
McLachlan Kenneth KCJ
attending Cardiff Business
WSTERN AUSTRALIA
Clarke Shireen DCG
Collage for Secretarial
Fisher John Maxwell KCG
Munro William KG
Training. Jo first met John
Flanagan Richard KCG
Williams Ken KG
when he spent time with
Freeman David Harold KG
Basanovic Mara DCG
British Nylon Spinners in
Haliday Michael Joseph KG Edwards Jeremy KCJ
Pontypool. Some 20 years
O’Rourke Michael KG
after their first meeting
John sent her a letter, and
from then on they corresponded 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 philanthropic 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
The book by Chevalier The Reverend Dr David
by Jo, a son and two
Duchesne GCHSJ MSSJ, on the early developdaughters. An Order Mement of the Order and the Hospitaller Brothers,
morial Service will, by grais a compelling read and should be included in
cious permission of the
Grand Master, be held in
your “Bucket List”.
honour of John's life in
August.
Copies are still available at an affordable cost of:
$A40.00 if posted within Australia; and
$A55.00 if posted outside Australia.
Email: [email protected]
to obtain your copy.
16