GOVERNMENT House was the location for an unusual ceremony conducted by His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor. [15 Dec]
Three Islanders awarded national honours were joined by two recipients of the chivalric Order of St John for an investiture conducted by Sir Stephen Dalton. Normally, national honours are presented at one of the Royal palaces but the pressures of the pandemic have created a backlog to which Buckingham Palace has responded with some ingenuity.
While recipients may still opt to receive their honour in the traditional way, they may also now receive it in a local ceremony conducted by the Lord Lieutenant – or in Jersey the Lieutenant-Governor – with the prospect of an invitation next year to a Garden Party at the Palace.
Jurat Geoffrey Grime OBE, Marc Burton MBE and Clare Ryder MBE received their honours from Sir Stephen at Government House with Kieran Paine and James Le Gallais who were admitted to the Order of St John at the levels of Officer and Member, respectively. Membership of the Order, a British Royal Order of Chivalryis sanctioned by the Queen on the advice of the Order itself.
Conducting the ceremony in the presence of a small number of guests, His Excellency paid tribute to the leadership, teamwork and commitment of the recipients.
