The Cross of Valour is Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

's highest civilian award for bravery. It was established in 1975 to replace the British George Cross

George Cross

The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...

, previously awarded to Australians.

The Cross of Valour is awarded "only for acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril". The award carries the post-nominal initial of CV; awards may be made posthumously.

Government allowance

The Government of Australia

Government of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

 may grant an allowance to veterans or serving members of the Australian Defence Force

Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...

 who have been awarded the Cross of Valour, or other awards for gallantry. At November 2007, this allowance was A$

Australian dollar

The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...

2.10 per fortnight.

Description

• The Cross of Valour is a gold, straight-armed cross pattée
  Cross pattée
  A cross pattée is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the centre, and broader at the perimeter. An early English example from the start of the age of heraldry proper A cross pattée (or "cross patty", known also as "cross formée/formy") is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the...
  
   with diminishing rays between the arms. It is ensigned with the Crown of St Edward
  St. Edward's Crown
  St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs...
  
  .
• The obverse has the shield and crest of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms
  Coat of arms of Australia
  The coat of arms of Australia is the official symbol of Australia. The initial coat of arms was granted by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version was granted by King George V on 19 September 1912, although the 1908 version continued to be used in some contexts, notably appearing on...
  
   surmounted by a Federation Star
  Commonwealth Star
  The Commonwealth Star is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901....
  
  . A suspender bar is engraved with the words 'For Valour'.
• The ribbon is 38mm wide, magenta with a central 16mm blood-red band. The two reds in the ribbon represent the colours of venous and arterial
  Artery
  Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. This blood is normally oxygenated, exceptions made for the pulmonary and umbilical arteries....
  
   blood.

List of recipients

The Cross of Valour has been awarded to only five living recipients, two of which are for bravery after the Bali terrorist bombing of 12 October 2002.

To date, two Australian Police Officers have been afforded this honour, one being a New South Wales Police Force Officer, Senior Constable Alan Sparkes CV, the other being a Western Australian Police

Western Australia Police

The Western Australia Police services an area of 2.5 million square kilometres, the world's largest non-federated area of jurisdiction. In 2008, its 7,526 employees included 5,647 police officers.-History:-Early history:...

 Officer Senior Constable Timothy Ian Britten CV.

2003

• Senior Constable Timothy Ian Britten, WA
  Western Australia
  Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
  
   - Entered the bombed Bali nightclub to rescue a badly injured woman, and then continued to search for survivors despite personal injury and ongoing explosions.
• Mr Richard John Joyes, Geologist, WA
  Western Australia
  Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
  
   - Entered the bombed Bali nightclub to rescue a badly injured woman, and then continued to search for survivors despite personal injury and ongoing explosions.

1998

• Senior Constable Allan Sparkes, NSW
  New South Wales
  New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
  
   - Rescuing a drowning boy from a flooded storm water drain.

1995

• Mr Victor Alan Boscoe, Qld
  Queensland
  Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
  
   - Pursued a pair of armed robbers sustaining gunshot wounds and lacerations to parts of his body during the process.

1989

• Mr Darrell James Tree, Captain of Mount Damper Fire Brigade, SA
  South Australia
  South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
  
   - Rescued a 3-year-old child from electrocution. Full details:

See also

• Orders, decorations, and medals of Australia
• British and Commonwealth orders and decorations
• Cross of Valour
  Cross of Valour (Canada)
  The Cross of Valour is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the second highest award , the highest honour available for Canadian civilians, and the highest of the three Canadian Bravery Decorations...
  
  - Canadian counterpart