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Awards & Recognition: Part I of II
By THL Giovanni Francisco, CSS, CMB
"...in recognition of your outstanding service to the Kingdom of Meridies, we award you with..."
Many of us have heard these words on at least one occasion and some for more than one reason. A quick study of the more famous persons in the Consortium show that we are a varied and diverse group. Of the 40 or so awards that a person could strive for in this Kingdom, 33 of them are held by at least one Consortiumite. That is a thing that we should all be proud of. However, once you take away about five of our more prominent citizens - Say a couple Knights, a Pelican, a Laurel and a certain Baroness, that number drops rather radically.
And further, some of the awards not held by a member of the Consortium - for example the Broken Brank for excellence in Chirurgeoning - are much deserved by some of our Consortium cousins.
That's why I'd like to urge ALL of you out there to take yet another look around and see who might need a little recognition. I mean all the way from an AOA to even a Peerage or Consulting Order.
Which brings up an interesting point. While talking with a member of the Consortium, this person made me realize that any citizen of Meridies can write anyone in for almost any award. Sure, we can't write someone in for a Duchy, or even for a "participation" award such as the Weapons Master unless they actually do that stuff, we CAN write them in for anything else. Somehow people have gotten into the mindset that you can't write in a deserving individual for such high powered recognition such as Peerages and Consulting Orders. I, personally, am a member of the Sable Sword. It is a consulting Order and we do vote on people. But I have in the past and will continue in the future to bring up names which have been suggested to me by persons outside the Order.
Further, some people seem to think it takes ungodly amounts of work and service to write someone in for an award. That's just not so. Sure, no one wants them handed out at the door as you enter Court, but if someone has done enough, write them in!
For example, there exist within the Consortium six Argent Shield awards. Six. Are you willing to say to me, that we have only six decent fighters and instructors in the martial arts in the whole Consortium???? Get real. Get writing.
Well, the amount of input we've received for this issue of Southern Watch has dictated that my article be cut short and be in two parts. Next issue I'll go into our census count in the Consortium, and exact counts of each award (if possible) and perhaps a word or two about how to write a letter to the Crown. And you know, it would be nice to have to add a few numbers to the awards given to Consortium members by that time.
Gio
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