Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal

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Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal



Obverse of medal and ribbon
Awarded by Australia
Type Medal
Eligibility members of declared eligible organisations
Awarded for Humanitarian service overseas
Status Currently awarded
Clasps 12 as at 30 June 2006
Statistics
Established 16 April 1999
Total awarded 1,293 as at 30 June 2006
Precedence
Next (higher) Police Overseas Service Medal
Next (lower) Civilian Service Medal 1939-1945
Related Australian Service Medal

The Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal is an award in the Australian honours system. The award is presented to those who perform humanitarian service in a foreign country, in particular those working in dangerous environments or conditions or during a humanitarian crisis. The award was introduced by letters patent on 16 April, 1999, following a review of the Australian honours and awards system beginning in 1995.

Potential recipients have to prove they worked for a minimum of 30 days in the location depicted by the clasp, during a period of time set in the award criteria. In addition, potential recipients have to be working for an aid organisation recognised by the criteria or with a United Nations taskforce during that timeframe. In 2005, special criteria were established for people working during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake or the 2005 Sumatra earthquake, with a maximum time period of 7 or 14 days depending on the time frame.

The medal was originally intended as a civilian award, in parallel with the Australian Service Medal and the Police Overseas Service Medal, and until 2005 the Australian Defence Force had never been declared an eligible organisation. This is because, in most cases, the Australian Service Medal is already available to military personnel serving alongside humanitarian relief operations. However, defence personnel on leave of absence and serving an eligible organisation could qualify for the medal. The declaration of eligible organisations for the Indian Ocean clasp was the first time the Australian Defence Force was declared an eligible organisation, as Operation Sumatra Assist was purely a disaster relief operation and did not attract any military operational service award.

Contents

[edit] Description

  • The Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal is a circular medal. The obverse features a stylised eucalyptus tree in the centre, with its branches reaching to the edge of the medal. A pattern of gumnuts rings the eucalyptus.
  • The reverse has the same pattern of gumnuts around the rim, with the name of the recipient engraved.
  • The ribbon is eucalyptus green, divided vertically by a gold stripe. These colours are associative with the green and gold, Australia's national colours, while continuing with the eucalyptus themeing; symbolising hope and regeneration after the disaster.

[edit] Clasps

Fourteen clasps have been declared for the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal as of October 2006, [1] to indicate what region(s) the recipient worked in. These are detailed below:

  • Afghanistan
various dates from 8 December 1979
  • Balkans
30 days service in the period 8 December 1979 - Present
  • Zone 1 - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia - various dates of service from 21 February 1992
  • Zone 2 - Serbia, Kosovo, Republic of Albania, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - various dates of service from 24 March 1999
  • Cambodia
various dates of service from 1 July 1979 - 31 December 1993
  • East Timor
for service 1 June 1999 - 19 May 2002
  • African Great Lakes
various dates of service from 1 May 1994
  • Indian Ocean
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2005 Sumatra earthquake
  • Iraq
30 days service in the period 20 March 2003 - Present
  • Mozambique
various dates of service from 10 October 1985 - 31 January 1995
  • Northern Iraq
various dates of service from 1 February 1991 to 31 May 1995
  • Somalia
various dates of service from 1 March 1992 to 1 January 1996
  • South Sudan
various dates of service from 23 May 1992
  • South Vietnam
various dates of service from 29 May 1964 to 30 April 1975

[edit] Recipients

As of June 2006, 1,293 awards, including medals and additional clasps, had been made.

Notable recipients of this award include:

  • Andrew MacLeod
  • the eleven ADF personnel involved in the Shark 02 crash, including the nine that died
  • military personnel involved in OP SUMATRA ASSIST I and II who meet the eligibility criteria

Declared eligible organisations must be part of an Australian humanitarian response, or an Australian contingent to an international response. Accordingly, it is possible for non-Australians participating in such a group to be eligible for the medal.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal - Guide to Eligible Groups. PDF document produced by the Australian Government. Last updated 27 March 2007. Last accessed 31 May 2007.