Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Compline and Honours

Though unfortunately our priest was unable to attend, and so we didn't have Benediction last night – at which I served at the city church on Monday night in any case, since the weekly Rosary devotions include Benediction this Lent – we did keep the feast of the Annunciation with special care, by singing the Litany of Loreto after Compline, and ending with the hymn "The Angel Gabriel from heaven came".

In other good news, the pre-eminent rank of Knight and Dame in the Order of Australia has been restored by our Prime Minister, just as the title of Queen's Counsel for senior lawyers is in process of being restored in certain State jurisdictions when it had been replaced with "Senior Counsel". We are a monarchy after all...

5 comments:

Ttony said...

Excellent news all round! Advance, Australia Fair!

Kate Edwards said...

Personally I don't understand why Tony stopped at knights and dames - Lord Howard sounds much better than Sir John.

And no scope for confusion then with the titles awarded by Republics like Peru, Argentina and Guatemala:

http://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/australian-knights-and-the-republic

Joshua said...

There have never been noble titles conferred as part of the Australian honours system, but knighthoods were part of it for about the first decade; hence it is a sensible restoration. To grant noble titles would be an altogether more radical step.

Anonymous said...

True, Josh, though there have been Australian titles created - one thinks of Lord Bruce (Viscount Melbourne), and Lord Casey (Baron Berwick).

Kate Edwards said...

Actually Damian Thompson has pointed out that Australia did used to have peerages - admittedly via the imperial system, but then they all were until Whitlam. And there are apparently still three 'live' Australian baronetcies:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_peers_and_baronets