OSJ Australia | Preceptory

Karageorgevich Order in Australia

Under King Peter II in 1964, a priory was formed in Malta, which had responsibility over the “Far East”, including Australia and New Zealand.

In 1969 Bailiff Professor Gaston Tonna-Barthet, Grand Prior of Malta, advised Major Roland Podesta, a diplomatic officer residing in Queensland, that he had been admitted to the Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller.

Podesta was further commissioned to form a Commandery in Australia, which he did in Queensland in 1972, which also had jurisdiction over New Zealand.

The Commandery became a Priory in 1974 under the Grand Priory of Malta, with early investitures occurring in Malta. The first investiture in Australia took place in 1974, where Sir Hubert Opperman, former Federal Member for Corio in the Parliament of Australia, and former High Commissioner to Malta, was invested. Other high profile individuals were also present.

In 1975 the Priory of Australia was made Grand Priory, and in 19 February 1980, the Priory of Victoria was launched in Geelong with Sir Hubert Opperman as the Prior.

The Order had two centres of activities, being Queensland and Victoria. Commanderies were also being established in South Australia, Darling Downs, Geelong and in Canberra.

The Commandery of New South Wales was established in 1982 in association with the Canberra Commandery. One of the Serving Brothers present was Tony Rich, who would eventually be Prior of New South Wales and finally transfer to the Victorian Priory. Eventually Tony Rich became a Conventual Bailiff Emeritus.

Prince Karl Vladimir Karageorgevitch, the Grand Master, in 2006 created two Grand Priories: Southern Australia and Northern Australia. The Southern Grand Priory was made up of the Priories of New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, under the Grand Prior Victor Techritz. The Northern Grand Priory at that date comprised the Priory of Queensland and with the ability to work in the Northern Territory, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. The Grand Prior there was Victor Feros. (The two Grand Priors both named Victor was a coincidence.)

In 2006 considerable disquiet arose in the Order, and Prince Karl Vladimir wrote to all members, explaining why he had backed Anthony Zammit out of all contending groups, and why he was now creating two Grand Priories in Australia, then saying, “I would rather have a small group of Christian, honest, unselfish and loyal members than a monumental number of ‘members’ looking for self satisfaction, position and self false pride.”

In Victoria, some sought to break away and align with the Malta-based Russian Grand Priory of the Order. In 2010, certain members voted to do this, which was accepted by the Russian Grand Priory of Malta, and so they terminated association with the London-based administration of the Karageorgevich Order. They then called themselves the Grand Priory of Australasia as created from the majority of the Grand Priory of Southern Australia. They also dropped the name “Sovereign”, and amended their constitution in 2016.

In October 2010 the Priory of New South Wales was granted independence. Those who did not break away were amalgamated from the two Grand Priories of Northern and Southern Australia into a different organisation with the same title, the Grand Priory of Australasia, which retained links to London under Prince Karl Vladimir. The Grand Prior of Australasia was Victor Feros. Due to these divisions, the some of the branches of the Order were weakened.

Preceptory began on 24 June 2016 with members who were involved with the Karageorgevich Order.

BELOW: Sir Hubert Opperman.

Geelong Commandery OSJ

The Geelong Commandery of the Karageorgevich OSJ was established on 17 February 1984 with Flight Lieutenant Milton Williams as Commander at the Royal Commonwealth Society in Newtown, Geelong. There had been a number of individuals associated with the Order from Geelong all the way back to 1974.

Early identities associated with Geelong included James MacGregor-Dowsett (1976), Richard Garrard (1977), Keith Hawkins (1977), John Paul (1080), Major Ian Barnes (1980), and Frank Moore (1980), besides Williams (1980) and Opperman (1974). Later notable members in the Geelong area (of which only a few are here named) included John Robb (1989), Norman Bender (1994), Antonia Kerr (1998) and others.

In 2010, the Geelong Commandery joined with the Russian Grand Priory of Malta in a strong and direct association with the local Roman Catholic hierarchy. Not all members were part of this move.

BELOW: The Royal Commonwealth Society building in LaTrobe Terrace, Geelong, home of Milton Williams, and location of the founding of the Priory of Victoria (1980) and first Commandery in Geelong (1984).

Religion and people

While the Royal Serbian Karageorgevich family was Eastern Orthodox, the main part of the Order had been Protestant in the English-speaking nations. In Australia, the Order was largely Anglican and Catholic.

Initially, investitures took place with minimal religious ceremony. During King Peter’s lifetime in the 1960s in Malta, the first investitures took place with no religious ceremony.

From the 1980s, in many jurisdictions of the OSJ, there was a notable departure from using the Authorized Version of the Bible, the development of more elaborate ceremonies and the inclusion of specifically Roman Catholic prayers.

Readings from Isaiah 40 and Luke 1 about John the Baptist were usual.

Some notable members have included:

Sir Hubert Opperman, had been Australia’s High Commissioner in Malta, joined the OSJ in 1974. Was Prior of Victoria.

Sir Edward (Weary) Dunlop, a famous Australian Army officer.

The Hon. Roger Faes de Bryon-Faes, Lord of Cote, was member of New South Wales Parliament.

Ted Rigby, former head of the Legion of Frontiersmen. Was Commander of the Ballarat Commandery.

Tony Rich, former head of the Legion of Frontiersmen. Was Prior of NSW.

BELOW: Roger de Bryon-Faes.