The BULLETIN The Order of St John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller THE GRAND PRIORY OF AUSTRALASIA Under the Royal Charter of HM King Peter II of Yugoslavia THE PRIORY OF QUEENSLAND and COMManderies: Warm hospitality BRISBANE, GOLD COAST, begins a busy SUNSHINE COAST AND WESTERN AUSTRALIA program for THE PRIORY OF THE Sunshine DARLING DOWNS Coast in 2017 THE PRIORY OF VICTORIA FEBRUARY 2017 Sovereign Order explained 3 Australia Day awards 5 Okanagan Commander visit 6 News from Victoria 7 Brisbane’s Christmas lunch 8 Notes from the West 10 Sunshine Coast hospitality 12 David Rees Memoirs 13 Visit to Vancouver 14 Christmas on the Downs 15 The bulletin EDITORIAL The Editor’s desk CheVAlieR CHARleS CLARK KCSJ MMSJ By the time this accompanied by promise of new Therein lies the overarching edition comes out, the New Year activity and challenge for us will be well under way. The of four years given to us in the in 2017. As well, we have the passing of the old year gives us a Memorandumbeginnings. 2017 of Understanding is the first continuing challenges in the to develop our relationships with Priories and Commanderies to New Year heralds in new starts. the Sovereign Order of St John of exercise our roles as a Christian, feelingLast ofyear finality, certainly of endings. gave us The Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller, ecumenical, and charitable some endings but they were headquartered in Vancouver. effectiveorganisation. in our Are charitable we sufficiently works? The Commander of the Brisbane Commandery, Christian?I was given Are awe short sufficiently statement Chevalier Commander Ric Barton KCSJ, some time ago, anonymous, so I Invites you and your friends to the cannot give credits. In part it said: “Membership of the Order requires that aspirants, when invested, must be comfortable with the fact BrisbaneCommandery that they come into a Christian organisation ...The Order of Saint John can only justify its continuing Formal Dinner existence and status as an Order in the modern community if in To raise funds for the 2017 Commandery charity its charitable works it supports Date Saturday 25 March 2017 the Christian Church. This Time 6-30 pm for 7-00 pm will distinguish it from other Venue The Moreton Club charitable organisations, worthy 72 Moray Street New Farm though they may be”. Subscription $130 per person The New Year gives the Dress Business Suit + Neck Jewel opportunity to assess the old and to plan and enhance the new. The programme includes a musical recital by the celebrated To quote T. S. Eliot: Ayesha Gough, winner of the 2015 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, and third in the 2014 Kerikeri International Piano Competition. “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language Please put the date in your diary. Your Invitation And next year’s words await with RSVP facility will be posted shortly. another voice And to make an end is to make a beginning”. @ ‘The Bulletin’ is the official magazine of the Order of St John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller, Grand Priory of Australasia: ACN 147 338 501 CORRESPONDence PRinteD BY Erratum Chevalier Charles Clark KCSJ MMSJ HEAneYS: PerFORMERS in Print email: [email protected] 07 5539 4911 www.hpip.com.au In The Bulletin, November 2016, it was stated that Dame Rhoda, EDitORIAL GROUP Lady McQuarrie GCSJ had joined Chevaliers Charles Clark, Reverend the Scottish Branch of the Dr David Pitman, the Reverend Canon Sovereign Order of St John. Emeritus Bruce Maughan (Prelate), This is not correct and we Robin Kleinschmidt, Garry Page, apologise to Lady McQuarrie for Dames Dawn Goodall and Donna Fraser, and Serving Sister Leith Robinson. the error. 2 THE BULLETIN GRAND PRIORY SOVereign order EDitOR by HM King Peter to the Order in 1964, just as we do in Australia. In Australia, we adhere to the view that the Constitution What is the Sovereign Order of of King Peter was most recently repudiated by others from whom St John Knights Hospitaller? we are now separated and that, throughout, we remain, and The Grand Priory of the Grand Priory Council has been have retained our legitimacy Australasia (OSJ) has a well-documented both in letters as, the Order of Saint John of Memorandum of from the Grand Prior and in the Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller, Bulletins of the latter half of 2016. having amended, as required by Understanding with the The SOSJ has its roots in the Australian Law, our Constitution Sovereign Order of St John same Order founded by Blessed and accompanying Regulations. of Jerusalem Knights Gerard in the 11th Century and We continue, lawfully, ethically, Hospitaller (SOSJ) whose like the OSJ in Australia traces its and morally as the autonomous headquarters are in history through the movements of Grand Priory of Australasia, the Vancouver, Canada. the Order from Jerusalem through Order of Saint John of Jerusalem the Mediterranean, the Siege of The Memorandum paves the way Malta, the expulsion from Malta with the Sovereign Order of for the Grand Priory of Australasia by Napoleon, and the move to the SaintKnights John Hospitaller, of Jerusalem now Knights affiliated to become a part of the SOSJ and Protection of the Russian Royal Hospitaller, also known as the thereby regain internationality. It Family and to the Patronage of the “Vancouver Order”. @ provides for a period of four years Yugoslavian Royal Family following during which both parties may the Russian Revolution in 1917. The article below is made up of determine mutually acceptable The SOSJ was formalised in extracts from the SOSJ website: outcomes. North America under the auspices sosjvancouver.org/ The way in which this has been of HRH Prince Andrej, brother of The reader will note the strong achieved by the superb efforts of King Peter II and acknowledges, and similarities between the SOSJ and the Grand Prior of Australasia and is guided, by the Constitution given the OSJ in Australia. The Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller The Order of St John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller monks and Knights of the Order is a Christian, chivalric, ecumenical, and international vowed to do 900 years ago. Through goodwill and devotion to community of members, who continue more than 900 a just cause, the Sovereign Order years’ tradition of helping the sick and the poor of all has been in the forefront of some of nationalities, races, and creeds with the motto Pro Fide, Pro history’s greatest moments. Today’s Sovereign Order, Utilitate Hominum – For Faith, For Service to Humanity. headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is based on the 1964 The modern day Order is divided located at Vancouver, Canada. Constitution of King Peter II of into 27 Commanderies (chapters) The Sovereign Order is Yugoslavia. in 14 countries in Europe and Christian. It was founded on In 1998, the King Peter II North and Central America, chivalric principles of putting Constitution was amended to consisting of approximately 850 others before self. Members of remove all restrictions on women members worldwide. the Sovereign Order serve their members (Dames). They have since community, just as the original continued following page The International office is FEBRUARY 2017 3 GRAND PRIORY SOVereign order continued from page 3 the organisation. filledThe many Sovereign of the seniorOrder hasroles in and the Americas and is working hardreunified to re-unite Grand Priorieswith others in Europe over time. It has also returned to its roots from the 11th century of helping our lords the sick and our lords the poor. Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum The traditions of the Sovereign Order are strongly rooted in the Order’s chivalric background and PRIORY OF THE DARLING DOWNS INVESTITURE its charitable work. Most of the activities that members organise and take part in today are part of the Order’s 900-year history. SOSJ INVEStituRE in LONDON, ENGLAND, in NOVEMbeR 2016 Internationally, the structure of the Sovereign Order is much the same as it would have been after it Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller became a Chivalric Order in 1113. Beginning with the Grand Leadership Structure Master and through the ranks SOVERIGN COUNCIL SUPREME COURT GRAND MASTER Grand Master, Bailiffs within each Commandery, our Grand Priors and Priors ECLESIASTICAL COUNCIL members strive to maintain our LE PETIT COUNSEIL LIEUTENANTS OFFICERS traditional values. Within all of Conventual Bailiffs the Order’s 27 Commanderies GRAND PRIORS there are three basic ranks: PRIORS – THE AMERICAS PRIORS – EUROPE Knight or Dame of Honour, Grace, and Justice. COMMANDERS Operations Chart Organisation Structure GRAND PRIORY OF THE AMERICAS Every year Priories and PRIORY OF CANADA PRIORY OF THE EASTERN USA PRIORY OF THE WESTERN USA Commanderies within the COMMANDERIES COMMANDERIES COMMANDERIES Vancouver Cleveland St Joseph Sovereign Order hold Investiture Ontario Costa Rica San Francisco Services where new Knights and Okanagan Nicaragua - in Formation The Sierras Victoria The Palm Beaches The Western Military Dames are welcomed to the Order Washington DC with a moving and unique service. European Operations History and tradition are a large GRAND PRIORY OF GRAND PRIORY OF GRAND PRIORY OF GRAND PRIORY OF GRAND PRIORY OF INDEPENDENT part of this ceremony and give the ST HENRIX, DACIA GERMANY THE UK AND FRANCE COMMANDERIES FINLAND PRIORY OF ST COMMANDERIES IRELAND PRIORY OF Report to Grand opportunity to learn about how the COMMANDERIES ANSGAR, IN FORMATION PRIORY OF AUVERGNE Commander Order came to be and why. Helsinki DENMARK South Germany ENGLAND PRIORY OF COMMANDERY Pori COMMANDERIES North Germany Commandery of BRETAGNE Hungary Members of the Sovereign Order Tampere Absalon Monaco London COMMANDERIES St Knud Hertug Italy PRIORY OF Leon-Cornouaille are active in their community, and St Kjeld SCOTLAND Gelo-Penthievre PRIORY OF ST Commandery of Nantes Pays de Retz contribute to helping those in need, JOHANNES Glasgow NORWAY usually in their Commandery’s PRIORY OF region.