Campaign
medals begin to be awarded
 |
|
The
new Iraq campaign medal
|
A
LOT more metal will be on display next Anzac Day as the newest
medals to be issued to ADF personnel start to make their way to
eligible recipients.
Production of the Afghanistan and Iraq campaign medals has commenced,
the Australian Defence Medal (ADM) is now open to tenders for
manufacture and the final administration processes for the issue
of the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal (HOSM) are in progress.
An initial production batch of 144 Afghanistan and 108 Iraq campaign
medals has now been distributed among the three branches of the
ADF.
The first medal to be issued was an Iraq campaign medal to Wing
Commander Angela Rhodes, who had served as Senior Air Traffic
Controller in Baghdad.
The medal was presented to her shortly before her death from a
terminal illness. The next of kin of members who died on operational
service in Afghanistan and in the Sea King tragedy will also receive
priority for issue.
The medals were produced by the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra
and major production batches will soon follow.
Issue of these medals is expected to occur from late February
2006, ensuring that medals will go directly to
members who have been posted to new units over the Christmas –
New Year period.
The Director of Defence Honours and Awards, Irene Wilson, said
while the delay in producing the medals was regretted, quality
was the factor that determined the timetable for issue.
“We had quality issues with the initial tenderer,” Ms
Wilson said. “We had to cancel the contract because they
weren’t up to standard. We now have a great product, and
I think people will be happy with the quality and design of the
medals and their ribbons.”
The ADM is also making good progress following the release of
a Tender for Manufacturing and Dispatch, which closes on November
21. The eligibility criteria for the medal still have to be finalised
by the Government, however, Ms Wilson said that current planning
projected a mid-2006 date for the initial release of the ADM.
“The ADM will feature a revised design to that released in
September 2004,” Ms Wilson said. “Unfortunately, the
new design is still confidential pending final official approval,
but we hope to make it public as soon as possible.”
The HOSM is also nearing its issue to ADF members. Last month
a determination identifying the eligible organisations involved
in the 2004-2005 tsunami and Nias Island relief efforts was released
by the Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia. Twenty
organisations have been deemed eligible, including the ADF, to
receive the HOSM with the clasp “Indian Ocean”.
The process for the issue of the medal to ADF members differs
to that of service and campaign medals. As the HOSM is a Commonwealth
award, recipients must be asked if they are willing to accept
the award. This is the same process used for the granting of honours
and bravery medals.
“We are currently working towards approval for Directorate
of Honours and Awards to manage what is called the ‘sounding
process’,” Ms Wilson said. “That will allow us
to put forward a list of eligible ADF members to the
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, who will then manage
the distribution process.
We are aiming for the distribution of the HOSM to commence in
the first quarter of 2006.”
