investiture

My posting lately has been very sporadic and fairly mundane. I have a lot of things going on at the moment, many of them with unpleasant outcomes and I really cannot see just where my life is heading.

So here is something more pleasant to lift my mood.

I have done volunteer work for very many years, usually for Christian organisations, but also in other areas. I'm not the only person who volunteers by a long shot. Many charities would not function without volunteers and there will shortly be a fair to show opportunties to volunteer.

I have a friend who is a member of the St John Ambulance brigade. He currently is a reasonably high rank, holding state and regional positions and has a position of some responsibility. This position is fairly "elastic" and he finds himself being given assignments which don't seem to fit in any other area.

Yesterday I attended an investiture at Government House in Sydney where he was raised to the position of Officer Brother in the order. There were another half dozen or so raised to this level, and then about a dozen raised to the order below. The citation for each member was read as the Governor, Marie Bashir, invested them and pinned on a rather attractive medal. The ceremony was impressive and the band of the NSW Ambulance Service played the national anthem and also a selection of music during the reception which followed. I don't think I have ever sung anything while the accompanying music came from under a tree outside! They also played durung the reception later.

I was struck by the generosity of the service offered by these people. Almost everyone of these people had given many thousands of hours over years to serve the community. I sat there trying to add up these hours and then see if I could get an indication of what that was in years. I allowed eight hours/day as I took that to be a working day. I never did really get to the end, but I figured it was well into many years in total of service, often in harsh conditions, all without pay.

One award was posthumous, given to the St John member who died during the Christmas - New Year bushfire emergency in 2006. He died while trying to obtain asthma medication for some who had been evacuated from a fire area and did not have it with them. He had been particularly active in training cadets and in nurturing many different community groups. There was tremendous applause as his daughter accepted the reward on his behalf. My friend, in his official St John position, had conducted some of this man's funeral service which had been attended by the Premier and the Governor.

Those in such organisations often risk their lives and give amazing service to the community. I'm sure there are many other groups, but ones which readily come to mind are St John, the Rural Fire Service volunteers and the State Emergency Service. Thank you to all.

The service was impressive. Members of St John Priory processed, clad in swirling great black capes with a large St John emblem on the shoulder, extending down to the elbow. The Bishop of Bathurst who heads the chaplaincy group, read the prayers and was robed. The Governor who is also the patron of the organisation, seemed to be very warmhearted and compassionate.

I haven't been inside Government House before and there are no pictures as we were requested not take them inside. The ceilings were at least 15-30' high and intricately painted. The cornices were very detailed, with one concave section being paintd in narrow stripes. The position is superb, of course, right on the point overlooking the harbour. There ws a reception afterwards, very professionally done, under one of the outside colonnades. this overlooked the harbour and I could jjust imagine how pleasant a hot afternoon would be, sitting there, watching the harbor traffic while being in the shade with a cool breeze from the water. Daydreams of course, but the setting was marvellous.

I was trying to take a picture of my friend's award, a very attractive medal. Just as I clicked the camera, he decided to take a photo so it didn't really show!

Here's a site with thumbnail pictures of the grounds and buildings of Givernment house. Click for more detail.