One of the uplifting things about " Australia Day " is the announcement of who has been granted an achievement award for their services to this nation. What is unique about this honour is that the recipients are nominated by their fellow Australians and each award expires automatically on the death of the award holder.
When the leaders of the Australian colonies met to discuss the possibility of Federation into a distinctly separate nation just before the start of the twentieth century they obviously looked to merry olde England as a possible template. They disliked what they saw ! That land on the other side of the world was a place of privilege, beset by titled people who claimed their elevated status on a hereditary basis. It was beset by princes and dukes, earls and barons and a descending order of titles where people sat in the house of Lords in a law making role without being elected by the men and women who chose the government.
Australia had the advantage of writing the first chapter in its history book and it decided not to follow that line of lineage. In the past thousand years Britain has had a troubled history and much of that involved civil war. The right to wear a crown was often up for grabs and sometimes the loser was executed or banished overseas. The reward for nobles that backed the winning side was elevation in the rank of peerage and a grant of the loser's lands and property. These riches bestowed were held in perpetuity.
It seemed grossly unfair that today the distant heir of someone who simply fought for the winning side a few centuries ago is living a life of wealth and privilege, and on their death that honour will pass to their eldest son. It takes no heed of achievement or even intelligence. By sheer chance such a titleholder today could have the intellect of a village idiot.
In the early years of the Australian nation the highest honour that could be bestowed was a knighthood, but this was wisely limited to the lifetime of the holder. It can still be technically awarded in special circumstances, but today the Australian award for personal excellence is encompassed in the varying grades of the Order of Australia.
A wisely chosen selection committee views nominations from all walks of life, city and country and those overlooked this year may come up for further consideration in future years. It seems inevitable that some time in the future this nation will become a republic. When that happens, the highest honour that is attainable will be for some Australian to win presidential office.
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