This Site is Dedicated to ALL Australian Bravery Awards and Unrecognised Acts of Bravery
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About Medals, Postnominals & How to Wear
| Description of Medals The Cross of Valour is the highest civilian award that Australia can confer, being higher in precedence than the Companion of the Order of Australia. Design The Cross of Valour (Gold), the Star of Courage (Silver) and Bravery Medal (Bronze) each have ribbons of different combinations of magenta and blood red, representing the colours of venous and arterial blood. The medals for these awards are each of a different design but share the common elements of the Australian Coat of Arms and the Federation Star. They are ensigned with the Crown of St Edward and are suspended from the ribbon by a bar inscribed "For Valour", "For Courage" or "For Bravery", depending on the award. The Commendation for Brave Conduct is a silver-gilt badge featuring a sprig of wattle mounted on a blood-red backing ribbon. The Group Citation for Bravery is a bronze and silver rectangular badge, with a multi leaf sprig of wattle representing the nature of group participation - the coming together of the many to create a single entity. |
Postnominals
| Current System Postnominals Recipients of the Cross of Valour are entitled to use the postnominals CV after their name. Recipients of the Star of Courage are entitled to use the postnominals SC after their name. Recipients of the Bravery Medal are entitled to use the postnominals BM after their name. Below is a full list of postnominals and the order they are worn |
THE ORDER OF WEARING
AUSTRALIAN HONOURS AND AWARDS
| THE SCHEDULE VICTORIA CROSS VC George Cross GC CROSS OF VALOUR CV KNIGHT/LADY OF THE GARTER KG/LG KNIGHT/LADY OF THE THISTLE KT/LT Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath GCB ORDER OF MERIT OM KNIGHT/DAME OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA AK/AD Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George GCMG KNIGHT/DAME GRAND CROSS OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER GCVO Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire GBE COMPANION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA AC Companion of Honour CH Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath KCB/DCB Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George KCMG/DCMG KNIGHT/DAME COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER KCVO/DCVO Knight/Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire KBE/DBE Knight Bachelor (NB: Confers title of "Sir" - no postnominals) OFFICER OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA AO Companion of the Order of the Bath CB Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George CMG COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER CVO Commander of the Order of the British Empire CBE STAR OF GALLANTRY SG STAR OF COURAGE SC Companion of the Distinguished Service Order DSO DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS DSC MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA AM LIEUTENANT OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER LVO Officer of the Order of the British Empire OBE Companion of the Imperial Service Order ISO MEMBER OF THE ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER MVO Member of the Order of the British Empire MBE CONSPICUOUS SERVICE CROSS CSC NURSING SERVICE CROSS NSC Royal Red Cross (1st Class) RRC Distinguished Service Cross DSC Military Cross MC Distinguished Flying Cross DFC Air Force Cross AFC Royal Red Cross (2nd Class) ARRC MEDAL FOR GALLANTRY MG BRAVERY MEDAL BM DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL DSM PUBLIC SERVICE MEDAL PSM AUSTRALIAN POLICE MEDAL APM AUSTRALIAN FIRE SERVICE MEDAL AFSM AMBULANCE SERVICE MEDAL ASM EMERGENCY SERVICES MEDAL ESM MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA OAM ORDER OF ST JOHN Distinguished Conduct Medal DCM Conspicuous Gallantry Medal CGM George Medal GM CONSPICUOUS SERVICE MEDAL CSM AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MEDAL AAM Queen's Police Medal for Gallantry QPM Queen's Fire Service Medal for Gallantry QFSM Distinguished Service Medal DSM Military Medal MM Distinguished Flying Medal DFM Air Force Medal AFM Queen's Gallantry Medal QGM ROYAL VICTORIAN MEDAL RVM British Empire Medal BEM Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service QPM Queen's Fire Service Medal for Distinguished Service QFSM COMMENDATION FOR GALLANTRY COMMENDATION FOR BRAVE CONDUCT Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct COMMENDATION FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE War medals, campaign medals, active service medals and service medals, POLICE OVERSEAS SERVICE MEDAL HUMANITARIAN OVERSEAS SERVICE MEDAL CIVILIAN SERVICE MEDAL 1939-1945 Polar Medal Imperial Service Medal Coronation, Jubilee, Remembrance and Commemorative medals, (in order of date of receipt) DEFENCE FORCE SERVICE MEDAL RESERVE FORCE DECORATION RFD RESERVE FORCE MEDAL DEFENCE LONG SERVICE MEDAL NATIONAL MEDAL AUSTRALIAN CADET FORCES SERVICE MEDAL CHAMPION SHOTS MEDAL Long Service Medals ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL SERVICE 1951-1972 MEDAL Independence and Anniversary Medals, (in order of date of receipt) Foreign Awards, (in order of date of authorisation of their acceptance and wearing) General Note:The Unit Citation for Gallantry, the Meritorious Unit Citation and the Group Bravery Citation are not positioned in The Order of Wearing Australian Honours and Awards.For members of uniformed services, they should be worn in accordance with the dress rules of the particular Service concerned. Civilian personnel awarded the Group Bravery Citation should wear the insignia on the left lapel or left breast. Should other honours or awards have been awarded, the Group Bravery Citation should be worn centrally, approx 10mm above these. |
How to Wear Medals on Civilian Clothing
 Recipients receive a full-size piece of insignia and a miniature. They may also receive a ribbon bar or a small lapel badge.Recipients of Imperial awards are invested with the main piece of insignia and can purchase privately ribbon bars and miniatures. Full size insignia is normally worn at daytime social occasions, placed on the left side of the coat or dress, above the left breast. Full size insignia is worn at ceremonies for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day observances and at formal social gatherings where the wearing of insignia has been mentioned in the invitation. Miniatures are normally worn only at evening occasions and placed in the same position as full size insignia. Invitations normally state if decorations are to be worn. Some awards, such as the Companion in the Order of Australia have a neck badge and some Imperial awards have large breast stars. These should be worn as well as the miniatures. Lapel badges are a feature of many Australian awards and recipients may wear them as often as they can when other insignia is not being worn. Ribbon bars are not worn on civilian attire, but may be worn on the left hand side on the uniforms of most public services: police and fire services, parliamentary attendants, etc, in accordance with the uniform codes of those services. |
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