Welcome To The Australian Bravery Association Website

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Co-Patrons of the Australian Bravery Association
Australia's 25th Governor-General Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC and His Excellency Mr Michael Bryce AM AE
Co-Patrons of the Australian Bravery Association. Click here to read their biographies.

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  • About Us
  • Bravery Foundation
  • Testimonial

The Australian Bravery and Gallantry award system recognizes distinguished acts of bravery or gallantry by members of the community and uniformed services. Recipients have selflessly placed themselves in jeopardy to protect life, property or the environment. Click on the links to learn more about Australian Bravery and Gallantry Awards. Membership to the Australian Bravery Association is open to all recipients of an Australian Bravery or Gallantry award irrespective as to whether it is a current Australian honour or a previously awarded former Imperial honour. Ordinary Membership is also extended to recipients of other official awards bestowed in recognition for Bravery and Gallantry such as Police Services, Fire Departments, Royal Humane Society’s etc. Other classes of membership are open to recipient’s families as well.

The vision for the Foundation is to support the families, particularly children, of posthumous and Totally & Permanently Disabled (TPD) recipients of bravery awards.  It is anticipated that the Foundation will eventually provide assistance to families in the following manner;

  • Education Grants at the following levels; pre-school, primary & secondary school to assist with tuition, books, uniform and other related costs such as field trips, school camp etc.
  • Tertiary education grants to the level of Bachelors Degree, or alternatively, Apprenticeship grants.
  • A ‘Tertiary Scholarship’ to be awarded annually, it is separate to the grant in that it carries a $5000 allowance & must be applied for in writing by the legatee.
  • Social Events to legatees such as Easter & Christmas Dinner/lunches and remote area functions.
  • Annual childrens camp.
  • Annual overseas hiking tour and Kokoda Trail walk to develop social skills and personal confidence.

It is anticipated that financial support for these initiatives will be raised through the following fundraising activities;

  • Charity Dinner and Balls
  • Raffles
  • Payroll deduction
  • Major sponsors
  • Donations & bequests
  • Charity golf days etc.

The ABA Foundation will not be confined to those persons in receipt of awards under the National Honours System only.  It is envisaged that the Foundation will assist the families of Posthumous and TPD awardees under kindred recognised systems such as, Royal Humane Society of New South Wales, State Police, Fire, Ambulance & Corrective Services and the State Emergency Services.

It is worth noting that there is currently no organisation/initiative that looks to the welfare or support of members of civilian posthumous awardees.  Significantly, one of the youngest of these awardees was only thirteen years old at the time of his death.  Apart from some local community support at or close to these very sad events, there is no thought given to the ongoing support of those left behind.  We are hopeful of addressing this somewhat through the establishment of the Foundation.

After hearing about the association I was a bit surprised that there were people that got together and called themselves “Brave” so I went along to my first function held in Coffs Harbour in 2000. It was amazing. The people who spoke about what they did had great humility and it was not a matter of you pat my back and I’ll pat yours. We were extremely diverse in our backgrounds, life experiences, incomes and interests, but what we all had in common was our act of bravery and that was enough to make me feel welcome and supported, which was truly needed at that time in my life. Since then I have held office as Treasurer in NSW for a short time and now have the honor of advising the Association in psychological matters as the Honorary Psychologist to the Association.
 
What continues to please me about this association is that we really are a by-partisan group who are aware that out there, people are having difficulty coping at times and to varying degrees because of their act of bravery. This is because we have probably all gone through a similarly difficult time. The Association can provide at least an individual that you can talk to who truly understand, and in addition we are now in a position to provide material support through our community networks and financial donations from generous community members.
 
In order to attend functions all you need is to be curious and prepared to come along and make yourself known. We are not funded by government and so raise our own funds to support members in need by holding our functions and raffles. These events provide much fun and often are attended by celebrities who hold us in high esteem.  We would love to meet you, your friends and family at any of our functions, held regularly throughout Australia.