64-588: Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson OAM (21 January 1945 – 1 December 2011) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He represented Australia , New South Wales and Queensland all between 1964 and 1981. His main position was at prop . Beetson became the first Indigenous Australian to captain Australia in any sport and is frequently cited as the best post-war forward in Australian rugby league history. He also had an extensive coaching career, spanning
128-600: A bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired. A gold lapel pin for daily wear is issued with each badge of the order at the time of investiture; AK/AD and AC lapel pins feature a citrine central jewel, AO and AM lapel pins have a blue enamelled centre and OAM lapel pins are plain. The different levels of the order are awarded according to the recipients' levels of achievement: Since 1976 any Australian citizen may nominate any person for an Order of Australia award. People who are not Australian citizens may be awarded honorary membership of
192-561: A challenge to take the prime ministership in September 2015. Two months after coming into office, the new republican prime minister announced that the Queen had approved his request to amend the Order's letters patent and cease awards at this level. Existing titles would not be affected. The move was attacked by monarchists and praised by republicans. The amendments to the constitution of
256-546: A gala dinner for the Australian team in 1973. Beetson captained Eastern Suburbs to the 1974 and 1975 premierships. During this period Beetson also continued playing with distinction for Australia and in 1974 he was named as Rugby League Week ' s player of the year. During the 1976 NSWRFL season , Beetson captained Eastern Suburbs to victory in their unofficial 1976 World Club Challenge match against British champions St Helens in Sydney. This Easts team would go down as one of
320-402: A grandstand named after Beetson in his home state at a venue such as Lang Park. That reasoning was criticised by NRL historian David Middleton, and former players Peter Wynn and Mick Cronin . Rugby league commentator Ray Hadley also criticised the decision after an attempted compromise with an offer put forward to have Beetson honoured with a statue instead of a grandstand. In March 2022, it
384-589: A member of the British Empire, members of the colonies and later federated nation of Australia were able to have achievement awarded under the British Imperial Honours system . However, existing criticism of the aristocratic nature of the awards grew following a cash-for-honours corruption scandal in the UK in 1922. Moves to abolish the awards federally and the states were unsuccessful; however
448-686: A part of. An academy that expects them to achieve to the best of their ability. An academy that will support them in times of need, but not accept excuses for a lack of commitment. ARTIE inspires its participants, encourages and informs them of their progress and celebrates their successes. The program is run by the FOGS (Former Origin Greats) organisation and funded under the "Closing the Gap" initiative. The program continues to operate in schools around Queensland. Beetson's Queensland State of Origin number 11 jersey
512-847: A plaque in the Walk of Honour there commemorates his career. He is a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). As part of the Centenary of League celebrations in 2008, Beetson was retrospectively awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as Man of the Match in the 1974 Grand final. In 2009 Beetson was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. In 2010 a program was founded and named in honour of Arthur Beetson,
576-534: A representation of the states (with whom Whitlam's government was constantly in dispute) through the state badges within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms . The original three-level structure of the Order of Australia was modelled closely upon the Order of Canada , though the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards to non-citizens. As of July 2024 only 30 non-Canadians have been appointed to
640-694: A third English premiership in succession in 1976–77 . The next time Easts, now known as the Sydney Roosters, would play in a World Club Challenge was in 2003 where they would again face St Helens, the 2002 Super League champions at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton , England . The result would be no different though as the Roosters defeated the Saints 38-0 in front of 19,807 fans. To celebrate
704-444: Is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia. The ribbon of the order is royal blue with a central stripe of mimosa blossoms. Awards in the military division are edged with 1.5 mm golden bands. AKs, male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet and male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on
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#1732783848205768-434: Is a registered charity, whose stated purpose is "[t]o celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship". It also supports the "community and social activities" of members and promotes and encourages the nomination of other Australians to the Order. The Order also runs a foundation that provides scholarships to tertiary students that show potential as future leaders and are involved in community activities. Branches of
832-563: Is likely to feel a bit second-rate, and the public is likely to agree. We hate to be the first to say it, but there is no doubt that the Order of Australia (OA) will be labelled as the Ocker Award. Satire and mockery also greeted the awards, being dubbed "Gough’s Gongs" and "the Order of the Wombat". The newly elected Liberal Fraser government decided to once again make recommendations for imperial awards, whilst maintaining and expanding
896-612: The 1975–76 Northern Rugby Football League season 's Premiership and Challenge Cup winners St. Helens . The one-off challenge match was played on 29 June, right in the middle of the 1976 NSWRFL season , at the Sydney Cricket Ground before a crowd of 26,856. The next game of its kind would not be played until 1987 . The game was the first of its type, and was the last to be played in Australia until 1994 . The Roosters, coached by Jack Gibson and captained by Australian international forward Arthur Beetson , were
960-488: The Australian Labor Party remained opposed and generally refused to recommend awards whilst in office, with this a part of the party's platform since 1918. This was confirmed in a resolution adopted unanimously by the party conference in 1921. However, the non-Labor parties remained supportive, with the long running Menzies government making significant use of the imperial system. The Order of Australia
1024-698: The Australian Sports Medal , then in 2001 the Centenary Medal "for service to Australian society through the sport of rugby league". He was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2003. In May 2004 his book, Big Artie: The Autobiography was published. Also that year he became the seventh selected post-war " Immortal " of the Australian game with Churchill , Raper , Gasnier , Fulton , Langlands and Wally Lewis . In February 2008, Beetson
1088-539: The Datsun South Queensland side to a 59-3 victory over Papua New Guinea. He also captained Queensland for the final 'traditional' interstate match in 1981 and at the end of the season the Dolphins were beaten in the final minute of the grand final by Southern Suburbs . Beetson's coaching career began while still playing for Easts in 1977. He was captain-coach of Redcliffe in 1981 and that season
1152-480: The Eastern Suburbs club where he would stay from 1971 to 1978. He possessed great strength and toughness, a surprising turn of speed for a big man and was unequalled as a ball player. Beetson continued to represent Australia at the 1972 Rugby League World Cup , playing against Great Britain at prop forward in the tournament final which was drawn. On the 1973 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France , he
1216-665: The Papua New Guinean national team . He then pushed, unsuccessfully, for an Australia Day match against the Australian national team . He also appeared at the Beenleigh (QLD) lions JRLFC as an Assistant Coach to the Beenleigh Lions JRLFC under 18s (2009) alongside Michael Hansen (Coach) before his untimely passing. Beetson is often regarded as Australia's best ever forward, and in 2000 he was awarded
1280-497: The Sydney Cricket Ground Trust 's decision not to nominate Beetson for the honour of having one of four new grandstands at the new Sydney Football Stadium being named in his honour, despite overwhelming public support. While the family congratulated the three sporting identities who were nominated to have grandstands named after them ( Ron Coote , Johnny Warren and Sir Nicholas Shehadie ), they criticised
1344-604: The 1970s to the 1990s, coaching Australia, Queensland, Eastern Suburbs , Redcliffe Dolphins and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks . He is also remembered as man of great humility who cared deeply about his people and culture. The Arthur Beetson Foundation was so named to honour Beetson, and the Arthur Beetson Medal is awarded to rugby league players who show both outstanding skills and similar personal qualities to Beetson. Beetson's mother
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#17327838482051408-474: The 435 people who have received the nation's top Order of Australia honours since they were first awarded in 1975, shows they disproportionately attended a handful of elite Victorian secondary schools. Scotch College alumni received the highest number of awards, with 19 former students receiving Australia's [then] highest honour". On 26 January 1980 the Order of Australia Association was created as an incorporated body with membership open to award recipients. It
1472-469: The ARTIE Academy (Achieving Results Through Indigenous Education). An inspiration and role model for his people, Arthur was resolute in his beliefs about the absolute need for young Indigenous Australians to be educated, to finish school and to be employed. The ARTIE Academy operates with an innovative, high expectation, consistent and positive mindset. ARTIE is an academy that students are proud to be
1536-567: The Arthur Beetson Medal honours rugby league players who have distinguished themselves who have shown not only skill on the field but some of the qualities embodied by Beetson and cares deeply about their people. On 16 December 2023, a Google Doodle was made to honour Beetson's life and career; the date was chosen because it marked 50 years since his appointment as captain a mainstream Australian sports team. In February 2022, Beetson's family and supporters expressed their dismay at
1600-580: The Medal of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to the sport of Rugby League". After stepping down as Queensland coach following the 1990 State of Origin series loss to NSW, Beetson became part of the ABC 's commentary team in 1991 for their Saturday Afternoon League telecasts alongside chief caller, former Western Suburbs winger Warren Boland , as well as his former Eastern Suburbs and Parramatta teammate John Peard and Canterbury-Bankstown media liaison Debbie Spillane , both of whom worked on
1664-418: The Order of Australia and the award of 199 Honorary Medals of the Order of Australia. Notable honorary awards include: Since 1975, just over 30 per cent of recipients of an Order of Australia honour have been women. The number of nominations and awards for women is trending up, with the 2023 Australia Day Honours resulting in the highest percentage of awards for women to date (47.1 per cent, 47.9 per cent in
1728-465: The Order of Australia is a convex disc (gold for AKs, ADs and ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing a single flower of mimosa . At the centre is a ring, representing the sea, with the word Australia below two branches of mimosa. The whole disc is topped by the Crown of St Edward . The AC badge is decorated with citrines , blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge is similar, without
1792-545: The Order of Australia. This was done by with the addition of two additional award levels: Knight or Dame (AK or AD) above the level of Companion, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) below Members. The Civil Division was also renamed the General Division, so that awards could be given to those in the Defence Force for non-military achievement. These changes were made on 24 May 1976. The reaction to
1856-486: The Order of Canada, while 537 non-Australians have been appointed to the Order of Australia, with 46 to the Companion level. Public reaction to the new awards was mixed. Only the state Labor governments of Tasmania and South Australia agreed to submit recommendations for the new awards, with the remaining governments affirming their committent to the existing imperial honours system. Newspaper editorials similarly praised
1920-439: The Order were gazetted on 22 December 2015. Yvonne Kenny AM represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . King Charles III , when he was Prince of Wales , was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) on 14 March 1981. As he is not an Australian citizen, even though he was the heir to the Australian throne at the time, this would have required the award to be honorary. To overcome this issue, his appointment
1984-594: The Order would be determined by the Council of the Order of Australia. Awards of the Order of Australia are sometimes made to people who are not citizens of Australia to honour extraordinary achievements. These achievements, or the people themselves, are not necessarily associated with Australia, although they often are. On 1 July 2024, the Australian Honours website listed appointments for 46 Honorary Companions, 118 Honorary Officers, 174 Honorary Members of
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2048-441: The Queen to reinstate the level of knight or dame and the Queen co-signed letters patent to bring this into effect. The change was publicly announced on 25 March, and gazetted on 17 April 2014. Up to four knights or dames could be appointed each year, by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the chairman of the Order of Australia Council. Five awards of knight and dame were then made, to
2112-559: The association are in all the states and territories of Australia as well as the UK and the USA. Total inductees as of July 2024 . The order of wearing Australian and other approved honours is determined by the government. The award is parodied in the play Amigos , where the central character is determined to be awarded the AC, and uses persuasion, bribery and blackmail in his (ultimately successful) attempts to get himself nominated for
2176-502: The award to Prince Philip in a ReachTEL poll. The Australian Labor Party continued to oppose knighthoods and damehoods. Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten stated in March 2014 that the party would again discontinue the level if it were to win the next Australian federal election. The knighthood decision was a significant factor that caused Liberal party members to question Abbott's leadership, with Malcolm Turnbull succeeding in
2240-503: The award. During the 1996 season of the popular television programme Home and Away , the character Pippa Ross was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her years of service as a foster carer. 1976 World Club Challenge The 1976 World Club Challenge was an unofficial trial of what would later become the World Club Challenge concept, with the 1975 NSWRFL season 's premiers, Eastern Suburbs hosting
2304-411: The awards as an example of Australia's greater independence, whilst also noting that the awards would likely appear second-rate. The Australian stated that There is no longer a British Empire; everyone knows that. But somehow the phrase "imperial honours" still carries a ring of regal authenticity that somehow transcends nationalism. For the time being a recipient ... of the Order of Australia
2368-491: The change. Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Australia , on the advice of then prime minister Gough Whitlam . Before the establishment of the order, Australians could receive British honours , which continued to be issued in parallel until 1992. Appointments to
2432-519: The changes to the awards were similarly split along party lines. Following the 1983 federal election , Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke recommitted to the end of recommendations for imperial awards. No knighthoods were awarded during his first term in office and he advised the abolition of the knight/dame level after being re-elected in 1986. During the time the division was active from 1976 to 1983, twelve knights and two dames were created. On 19 March 2014, monarchist prime minister Tony Abbott advised
2496-531: The citrines. For the AM badge, only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain. The AK/AD badge is similar to that of the AC badge, but with the difference that it contains at the centre an enamelled disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia . The colours of royal blue and gold are taken from the livery colours of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms , the then national colours . The star for knights and dames
2560-684: The club's player of the year award in 1965 as well as the Brisbane Rugby League premiership with them, he moved to Sydney to play in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership with the Balmain club . The 1966 NSWRFL season was his first and he gained selection for the New South Wales team and played in that season's grand final against St. George at second-row forward. Beetson
2624-463: The exception of awards recommended by the soon to be independent government of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea ); however this did not affect the constitutional right of state governments to recommend imperial awards. According to the governor general's then-secretary Sir David Smith , Whitlam was furious when he first saw Devlin's design for the insignia of the order, due to the inclusion of
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2688-489: The general division). Advocacy groups such as Honour a Woman and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have called for greater effort to be made to reach equal representation of men and women in the order. In December 2010, The Age reported a study of the educational backgrounds of all people who had received Knight/Dame and Companion level awards at that time. It reported: "An analysis of
2752-683: The governments of each respective state and territory, and three ex officio members (the chief of the Defence Force , the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and a public servant responsible for honours policy). The Council chair as of August 2024 is Shelley Reys. The Council makes recommendations to the governor-general. Awards are announced on Australia Day and on the King's Birthday public holiday in June, on
2816-586: The governor-general to remove an individual from the order, who may cancel an award. Announcements of all awards, cancellations and resignations appear in the Commonwealth Gazette . Nomination forms are confidential and not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) . The reasoning behind a nomination being successful or unsuccessful—and even the attendees of the meetings where such nominations are discussed—remains confidential. As
2880-639: The greatest club sides in rugby league history. Beetson joined the Parramatta Eels in 1979. While still playing in Sydney for Parramatta, Beetson achieved further immortality as captain of Queensland in the inaugural 1980 State of Origin game , won 20–10 by Queensland on 8 July. He capped off that year with a man-of-the-match performance in the Eels' 8-5 Tooth Cup Final win over Balmain. Beetson returned to Queensland for one final year of playing with his old Redcliffe team in 1981, where he also captain-coached
2944-417: The occasion of a special announcement by the governor-general (usually honorary awards), and on the appointment of a new governor-general. The governor-general presents the order's insignia to new appointees. Appointments to the order may be made posthumously as long as a person was nominated for an award whilst they were still alive. Awardees may subsequently resign from the order, and the Council may advise
3008-478: The order are made by the governor-general , "with the approval of The Sovereign", according to recommendations made by the Council for the Order of Australia . Members of the government are not involved in the recommendation of appointments, other than for military and honorary awards. The King of Australia is the sovereign head of the order, and the governor-general is the principal companion and chancellor of
3072-674: The order at all levels. Nomination forms are submitted to the Director, Honours Secretariat, a position within the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia , at Government House, Canberra , which are then forwarded to the Council for the Order of Australia . The council consists of 19 members: seven selected by the prime minister (described as "community representatives"), eight appointed by
3136-446: The order. The governor-general's official secretary , Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of the order. The order is divided into a general and a military division. The five levels of appointment to the order in descending order of seniority are: Honorary awards at all levels may be made to non-citizens. These awards are made additional to the quotas. The order's insignia was designed by Stuart Devlin . The badge of
3200-457: The outgoing governor-general , Quentin Bryce ; her successor, Peter Cosgrove ; a recent chief of the Defence Force , Angus Houston ; a recent governor of New South Wales , Marie Bashir ; and Prince Philip . This last award was widely met with ridicule and dismay by many in the Australian media. The award was also heavily criticised in the community, with 72% disapproving and 12% in favour of
3264-593: The presentation ceremony, stating that he did not agree with the direction rugby league is taking. In June 2008, he was chosen in the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century at second-row. In 2008, rugby league in Australia 's centenary year, Beetson was named at second-row forward in the Toowoomba and South West Team of the Century. He was made a life member of the Sydney Cricket Ground and
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#17327838482053328-681: The prime minister alone, rather than by the Council of the Order of Australia, as is the case with all lower levels of the order. In accordance with the statutes of 2014, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , was created a Knight of the Order by letters patent signed by the Queen on 7 January 2015, on Abbott's advice. Prince Philip's knighthood was announced as part of the Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2015 and his appointment attracted criticism of what Abbott described as his "captain's call". Abbott responded by announcing that future recommendations for appointments as Knights and Dames of
3392-492: The proposal to name a grandstand Garrison in recognition of locally based British troops from the 1850s. Anthony Mundine and Megan Davis also condemned the decision not to put forward Beetson's name for the honour. Chairman of the SCG Trust heritage committee Maurice Newman said that Beetson "didn't make the cut" because he was a Queenslander , rejecting the assertion of it being a "snub" and questioned why there wasn't
3456-577: The reigning Sydney premiers having won the NSWRFL Grand Finals in both 1974 and 1975. Saints were the reigning English champions, having won the title in 1974-75 . Saints were coached by former Great Britain captain Eric Ashton and captained by Welsh dual rugby international Kel Coslett . After winning the 1974 and 1975 Sydney premierships, Eastern Suburbs would not win another until 2002 , while St Helens would go on to win
3520-525: The sidelines. Beetson coached the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks for the 1992 and 1993 seasons, where he enjoyed mixed success. Part-way through the 1994 NSWRL season Beetson briefly replaced the sacked Mark Murray as coach of the Eastern Suburbs Roosters . Beetson has also spent many years as a recruitment officer for both Eastern Suburbs and Queensland. In the post- 1999 NRL season an Aboriginal side managed by Arthur Beetson defeated
3584-576: Was " retired " in 2014. On 1 December 2011, Beetson died following a heart attack while riding his bicycle at Paradise Point on the Gold Coast, Queensland. He was 66. The Premier of Queensland , Anna Bligh announced that a bronze statue of Beetson was to be situated at Lang Park . It was unveiled on 3 July 2012. The Arthur Beetson Foundation was created to engage the community "to empower Indigenous Australians to better outcomes in health, education, sport, employment and business development", and
3648-559: Was a member of the Stolen Generation . He was born in Roma, Queensland on 21 January 1945. Beetson's big frame, pure speed and brilliant ball skills won countless games for all his teams. His off-loading and attacking workrate broke the mould for front rowers and changed the way they played the game. Beetson's rugby league career began with Redcliffe in the Brisbane Rugby League competition between 1964 and 1965. After winning
3712-472: Was also selected to make his representative début for Australia against England and set up the first two tries. He represented Australia again at the 1968 Rugby League World Cup , playing at prop forward in the win against France in the tournament final . Beetson then played with Balmain, with a spell in England with Hull Kingston Rovers in 1968. After the 1970 NSWRFL season Beetson left Balmain to join
3776-488: Was announced that the decision not to name a stand at the new Sydney Football Stadium had been overturned by New South Wales sports minister Stuart Ayres . Beetson's son Mark said the naming of a stand after his father would be a proud moment for his family who described his father as being "up there" with the likes of Cathy Freeman and Lionel Rose as one of Australia's indigenous sporting icons. Mark Beetson also thanked The Daily Telegraph and its readers for lobbying for
3840-591: Was appointed coach of the Queensland State of Origin side, taking them to repeated series victories over New South Wales from 1981 to 1984. Beetson also coached the Brisbane rugby league team in 1981. He had a brief, but unsuccessful period, coaching Australia in 1983 before returning to coach his former club Eastern Suburbs , from 1985 to 1988, being named Coach of the Year in 1987. Also in 1987 he received
3904-447: Was created by an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Australia by special letters patent signed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . In March 2014 the knight and dame levels, which had been abolished in 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke , were reintroduced to the Order of Australia by Tony Abbott . At the same time, Abbott announced that future appointments at this level would be recommended by
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#17327838482053968-498: Was established on 14 February 1975 by letters patent of Queen Elizabeth II , acting as Queen of Australia , and on the advice of the newly elected Labor prime minister , Gough Whitlam . The original order had three levels: Companion (AC), Officer (AO) and Member (AM) as well as two divisions: Civil Division and Military Division. Whitlam had previously announced in 1972 (on his third day in office) that his government would no longer nominate persons for British Imperial honours (with
4032-482: Was named in a list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Beetson went on to be named in the front-row in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century . Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. Beetson chose to boycott
4096-401: Was selected as Australia's vice captain, playing at prop forward in all three Ashes test matches . Beetson then became the first aboriginal player to captain Australia in the second test against France . His skill as a footballer was matched only by his skill as an eater, earning nicknames such as 'Meat Pie Artie'. He was known and immortalised by his performance of eating 11 hot dogs before
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