Sisserou Award of Honour

Last updated
Sisserou Award of Honour
TypeNational Award
Awarded forMeritorious service
CountryCommonwealth of Dominica
Presented byFlag of Dominica.svg  Dominica
EligibilityNationals and non-nationals
Post-nominalsS.A.H. [1]
StatusCurrent
Established1967
DMA Dominica Award of Honour.png
Riband of the award
Precedence
Next (higher) Dominica Award of Honour [2]
Next (lower) Meritorious Service Award of Dominica

The Sisserou Award of Honour is a national award of the Commonwealth of Dominica. Created in 1967, it is the second highest honour presented by the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica on behalf of the state. [3] The Dominican Awards are sparingly presented, with up to two Sisserou Awards of Honour being granted in any one year.

Contents

The award is named after the sisserou, the national bird of Dominica, which is unique to the island. The sisserou also appears on the national flag and coat of arms.

Insignia

The badge of the Sisserou Award of Honour is an oval-shaped golden coloured medallion. The outer ring of the medallion bears the inscription in relief THE SISSEROU AWARD OF HONOUR. The centre of the medallion depicts the Coat of arms of Dominica.

The breast medal is suspended from a ring attached at the top, and hangs from a yellow ribbon with a centre stripe of black bordered on its outside by white. [3]

Grades : One grade

Notable recipients

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the British Empire</span> British order of chivalry

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand Order of Merit</span> Royal order of merit in New Zealand

The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits", to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Dominica</span> National flag

The flag of Dominica was adopted on 3 November 1978, with some small changes having been made in 1981, 1988, and 1990. The original flag was designed by playwright Alwin Bully in early 1978 as the country prepared for independence.

The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C. Lynch-Staunton granted royal assent to the Alberta Order of Excellence Act, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour current or former Alberta residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour amongst all others conferred by the Canadian Crown in right of Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military colours, standards and guidons</span> Flags, coats of arms, and other signals used to aid in military navigation

In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle standards reading SPQR a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, with standards being emblazoned with the commander's coat of arms.

Lennox Honychurch is Dominica's most noted historian and a politician. He is well known for writing 1975's The Dominica Story: A History of the Island, the 1980s textbook series The Caribbean People, and the 1991 travel book Dominica: Isle of Adventure. Also an artist and a curator, he was largely responsible for compiling the exhibit information for The Dominica Museum in Roseau. Honychurch is the grandson of writer and politician Elma Napier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial amazon</span> Species of rare bird in the Caribbean

The imperial amazon or Dominican amazon, also known as the sisserou or sisserou parrot, is a parrot found only on the Caribbean island of Dominica. It has been designated as the national bird of Dominica. The species is critically endangered. In 2019, it was estimated there were only about 50 mature individuals left in the wild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Volunteer Service Medal</span> Award

The Canadian Volunteer Service Medal is granted to persons of any rank in the Naval, Military or Air Forces of Canada who voluntarily served on Active Service from September 3, 1939, to March 1, 1947. The medal was established on October 22, 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominica</span> Country in the Caribbean

Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically situated as part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. Dominica's closest neighbours are two constituent territories of the European Union, the overseas departments of France, Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica comprises a land area of 750 km2 (290 sq mi), and the highest point is Morne Diablotins, at 1,447 m (4,747 ft) in elevation. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Military Merit (Canada)</span>

The Order of Military Merit is a military honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the second highest order administered by the governor in Council on behalf of the Canadian monarch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Dominica</span> Overview of and topical guide to Dominica

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Dominica:

Colombian military decorations date back as far as the founding of the country. An early decoration was the Cruz de Boyacá that was awarded to the generals who led their forces to victory in the Battle of Boyacá in 1819. This early decoration lives on today as an incarnation of the highest order presented by the Colombian state. There is one decoration higher, but it is only awarded for military conflicts in defence of Colombia. Other than military decorations, Colombia presents decorations on behalf of the National Government, decorations for the National Police, and decorations from the Congress of Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Dominica-related articles</span>

The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the nation of Dominica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flags of Elizabeth II</span>

Queen Elizabeth II had a variety of flags to represent her personally and as head of state of several independent nations around the world. They were usually used on any building, ship, car, or aircraft where she was present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Singapore</span> National coat of arms of Singapore

The coat of arms of Singapore is the heraldic symbol representing the sovereign island country and city-state of Singapore located in maritime Southeast Asia. It was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore attained self-governance from the British Empire, and remains in use after its independence in 1965. The committee that created it, headed by Toh Chin Chye, who was also responsible for the national flag and the national anthem of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Order of Merit (Malta)</span> State order of Malta

The National Order of Merit is a state order of the Republic of Malta. The order is divided into four grades that may be awarded to Maltese citizens.

The Dominica Award of Honour is a decoration of the Commonwealth of Dominica. Created in 1967, it is the highest honour presented by the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica on behalf of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearle Christian</span> Dominican composer and cultural worker (born 1955)

Pearle Christian, affectionately known as "Aunty Pearle", is a Dominican music educator, composer, choral music director, and cultural worker, who has been called "one of Dominica's greatest daughters". She was a senior officer in the Cultural Division of the Dominican Government for more than three decades, until 2015. Much of her work has been devoted to exploring the use of Caribbean folk culture as a source for creative expression. She is a niece of L. M. Christian (1913–2000), composer of Dominica's national anthem "Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presentation of Colours</span> Traditional British military and Commonwealth ceremony

The Presentation of Colours is a military ceremony that marks an anniversary or significant event in the history of a particular regiment or similar military unit. This involves the presentation of a new version of the regimental colour to a regiment or equivalent formation in their respective armed forces service branch. This is a traditional ceremony that was pioneered by the British Armed Forces, and is today used in most Commonwealth countries.

Alwin Anthony Bully was a Dominican cultural administrator, playwright, actor and artist, who designed the national flag of Dominica. Bully was bestowed with the Sisserou Award of Honour, the nation's second highest honour, in 1985. He was responsible for establishing and developing Dominica's Department of Culture and was its first director. Viewed as being the island's "cultural icon", Bully's contributions were to arts and culture, also impacting on the areas of education and communication, and according to Dominica News Online there was no Dominican more decorated and honoured in those fields than Bully, whose influence extended to the wider Caribbean.

References

  1. Richard Allsopp (French) and Jeanette Allsopp (Spanish suppl.), ed. (2003). Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage (new ed.). Kingston, Jamaica [u.a.]: University of the West Indies Press. p. 187. ISBN   9789766401450.
  2. "Meritorious Service Honours Act, Chapter 19:09" (PDF). Revised Laws of Dominica 1990, Acts & Statutory Rules and Orders 1991 - 2009. Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Dominica - Award of Honour". Royal Collection . Retrieved 8 May 2013.