The Bravery Medal (BM) is a
bravery
Courage (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in battle.
Physical courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, h ...
decoration
Decoration may refer to:
* Decorative arts
* A house painter and decorator's craft
* An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc.
* An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing
Other ...
awarded to
Australians
Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...
.
[
] It is awarded for acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.
The BM was created in February 1975.
The decorations recognise acts of bravery by members of the community. They selflessly put themselves in jeopardy to protect the lives or property of others. It is ranked third of the Australian bravery decorations in the
Australian Honours System
The Australian honours and awards system refers to all Order (distinction), orders, decorations, and medals, as instituted by letters patent from the Monarchy of Australia, Monarch of Australia and countersigned by the Australian prime minister a ...
. Recipients of the Bravery Medal are entitled to use the
post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...
"BM".
Design
Medal
The Bravery Medal is a circular bronze medal ensigned with the
Crown of Saint Edward. It is surmounted with the shield and crest of the
Commonwealth Coat of Arms. The
Federation Star
The Commonwealth Star (also known as the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901.
Six points of the Star represen ...
is above the shield, which is contained in a circular
zig-zag
A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular.
In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...
border.
Bar and ribbon
The medal is suspended from a ribbon by a bar inscribed "For Bravery".
The ribbon is 32 mm wide and has 15 alternating stripes of blood-red and magenta representing the colours of venous and arterial blood.
Recipients
As of November 2016, the Australian Government "It's an Honour" database contains 1,240 entries of people who have been awarded the medal.
Bravery Medal search
, It's an Honour, 26 Nov 2016
See also
*Australian Honours Order of Precedence
The Governor-General of Australia has, at irregular intervals, notified for general information the positioning of the wearing of Australian Orders, Decorations and Medals in the ''Commonwealth of Australia Gazette''. The ''Order of Wearing Aust ...
References
{{Australian Honours System
Civil awards and decorations of Australia
Courage awards
1975 establishments in Australia
Awards established in 1975