94-552: Clive James AO CBE FRSL (born Vivian Leopold James ; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist , broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019. He began his career specialising in literary criticism before becoming television critic for The Observer in 1972, where he made his name for his wry, deadpan humour. During this period, he earned an independent reputation as
188-603: A bursary award to Sydney Boys High School ) and the University of Sydney , where he read English and Psychology from 1957 to 1960, and became associated with the Sydney Push , a libertarian intellectual subculture. At university, he contributed to the student newspaper, Honi Soit and directed the annual students' union revue . He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English in 1961. After graduation, James worked for
282-548: A challenge to take the prime ministership in September 2015. Two months after coming into office, the new republican prime minister announced that the Queen had approved his request to amend the Order's letters patent and cease awards at this level. Existing titles would not be affected. The move was attacked by monarchists and praised by republicans. The amendments to the constitution of
376-436: A course of eight episodes (each one chronologically and roughly devoted to one decade of the century, from the 1900s to the 1980s) discussions about world-famous people of the 20th century. Through the use of film footage, James presented a history of "fame" which explored its growth to today's global proportions. In his closing monologue he remarked, "Achievement without fame can be a rewarding life, while fame without achievement
470-545: A few days" and that the continuing conflict in Iraq was "the Iraq peace". He also wrote that it was "official policy to rape a woman in front of her family" during Saddam Hussein 's regime and that women have enjoyed more rights since the invasion. In 2017, James contributed a chapter to a book on climate change published by the Institute of Public Affairs , advocating climate denialism . Describing religions as "advertising agencies for
564-569: A member of the British Empire, members of the colonies and later federated nation of Australia were able to have achievement awarded under the British Imperial Honours system . However, existing criticism of the aristocratic nature of the awards grew following a cash-for-honours corruption scandal in the UK in 1922. Moves to abolish the awards federally and the states were unsuccessful; however
658-496: A newspaper proprietor who owned a number of publications. The paper continued to receive government subsidies during this period; in 1819, of the approximately 23,000 copies of the paper distributed weekly, approximately 10,000 were given away as "specimen copies", distributed by postmen who were paid to deliver them to "lawyers, doctors, and gentlemen of the town." Clement maintained ownership of The Observer until his death in 1852. After Doxat retired in 1857, Clement's heirs sold
752-502: A poet and satirist . He achieved mainstream success in the UK first as a writer for television, and eventually as the lead in his own programmes, including ...on Television . James was born Vivian Leopold James in Kogarah , a southern suburb of Sydney . He was allowed to change his name as a child because "after Vivien Leigh played Scarlett O'Hara the name became irrevocably a girl's name no matter how you spelled it". He chose "Clive",
846-562: A product that doesn't exist", James was an atheist and saw it as the default and obvious position. He was also a patron of the Burma Campaign UK , an organisation that campaigns for human rights and democracy in Burma. In 1968, at Cambridge, James married Prudence A. "Prue" Shaw, also Australian, a graduate of the University of Sydney , the University of Florence and Somerville College, Oxford . Shaw taught Italian language and literature at
940-697: A radio version of his book The Blaze of Obscurity on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week programme. In December 2009, James talked about the P-51 Mustang and other American fighter aircraft of World War II in The Museum of Curiosity on BBC Radio 4. In May 2011, the BBC published a new podcast, A Point of View: Clive James , which features all sixty A Point of View programmes presented by James between 2007 and 2009. He posted vlog conversations from his internet show Talking in
1034-573: A representation of the states (with whom Whitlam's government was constantly in dispute) through the state badges within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms . The original three-level structure of the Order of Australia was modelled closely upon the Order of Canada , though the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards to non-citizens. As of July 2024 only 30 non-Canadians have been appointed to
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#17328984176251128-884: A subsequent series launched the British career of singer and comedian Margarita Pracatan . James hosted one of the early chat shows on Channel 4 and fronted the BBC's Review of the Year programmes in the late 1980s ( Clive James on the '80s ) and 1990s ( Clive James on the '90s ), which formed part of the channel's New Year's Eve celebrations. In the mid-1980s, James featured in a travel programme called Clive James in... (beginning with Clive James Live in Las Vegas ) for LWT (now ITV ) and later switched to BBC , where he continued producing travel programmes, this time called Clive James's Postcard from... (beginning with Clive James's Postcard from Miami ) – these also eventually transferred to ITV. He
1222-602: A television presenter. An omnibus edition of the first three volumes was published under the generic title of Always Unreliable . James also wrote four novels: Brilliant Creatures (1983); The Remake (1987); Brrm! Brrm! (1991), published in the United States as The Man from Japan ; and The Silver Castle (1996). In 1999, John Gross included an excerpt from Unreliable Memoirs in The New Oxford Book of English Prose . John Carey chose Unreliable Memoirs as one of
1316-453: A variety of occasionally disastrous short-term jobs: sheet metal worker, library assistant, photo archivist and market researcher. During one summer holiday, he worked as a circus roustabout to save enough money to travel to Italy . His contemporaries at Cambridge included Germaine Greer (known as "Romaine Rand" in the first three volumes of his memoirs), Simon Schama and Eric Idle . Having, he claimed, scrupulously avoided reading any of
1410-517: A vote to condemn the sale and passed a vote of no confidence in the newspaper’s owners, accusing it of betrayal amid concerns that the sale of the paper could harm the financial security of staff members. After the paper was rejuvenated in early 2010, the main paper came with only a small number of supplements – Sport , The Observer Magazine , The New Review and The New York Times International Weekly , an 8-page supplement of articles selected from The New York Times that has been distributed with
1504-465: A weekly column for The Guardian entitled "Reports of My Death...". James died at his home in Cambridge on 24 November 2019. Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Australia , on
1598-596: A year as an assistant editor for the magazine page at The Sydney Morning Herald . In 1962, James emigrated to Britain, which became his home for the rest of his life. During his first three years in London, he shared a flat with the Australian film director Bruce Beresford (disguised as "Dave Dalziel" in the first three volumes of James's memoirs), was a neighbour of Australian artist Brett Whiteley , became acquainted with Barry Humphries (disguised as "Bruce Jennings") and had
1692-434: Is a registered charity, whose stated purpose is "[t]o celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship". It also supports the "community and social activities" of members and promotes and encourages the nomination of other Australians to the Order. The Order also runs a foundation that provides scholarships to tertiary students that show potential as future leaders and are involved in community activities. Branches of
1786-603: Is included in The Guardian Weekly for an international readership. The Observer followed its daily partner The Guardian and converted to Berliner format on Sunday 8 January 2006. The Observer was awarded the National Newspaper of the Year at the British Press Awards 2007. Editor Roger Alton stepped down at the end of 2007, and was replaced by his deputy, John Mulholland . In early 2010,
1880-473: Is issued with each badge of the order at the time of investiture; AK/AD and AC lapel pins feature a citrine central jewel, AO and AM lapel pins have a blue enamelled centre and OAM lapel pins are plain. The different levels of the order are awarded according to the recipients' levels of achievement: Since 1976 any Australian citizen may nominate any person for an Order of Australia award. People who are not Australian citizens may be awarded honorary membership of
1974-553: Is likely to feel a bit second-rate, and the public is likely to agree. We hate to be the first to say it, but there is no doubt that the Order of Australia (OA) will be labelled as the Ocker Award. Satire and mockery also greeted the awards, being dubbed "Gough’s Gongs" and "the Order of the Wombat". The newly elected Liberal Fraser government decided to once again make recommendations for imperial awards, whilst maintaining and expanding
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#17328984176252068-532: Is no life at all." A fan of motor racing , James presented the 1982 , 1984 and 1986 official Formula One season review videos produced by the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA). He attended most F1 races during the 1980s and was a friend of former FOCA boss Bernie Ecclestone . He also presented The Clive James Formula 1 Show for ITV to coincide with their Formula One coverage in 1997 . In 2007, James started presenting
2162-470: Is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. The first issue, published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, was the world's first Sunday newspaper . Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to
2256-645: The 2015 BAFTAs , James received a special award honouring his 50-year career. In 2014, he was awarded the President's Medal by the British Academy . James is celebrated with a plaque on the Sydney Writers Walk on Circular Quay . It includes an excerpt on Sydney Harbour from Unreliable Memoirs . James's political views were prominent in much of his later writing. While critical of communism for its tendency towards totalitarianism , he identified with
2350-478: The Australian Labor Party remained opposed and generally refused to recommend awards whilst in office, with this a part of the party's platform since 1918. This was confirmed in a resolution adopted unanimously by the party conference in 1921. However, the non-Labor parties remained supportive, with the long running Menzies government making significant use of the imperial system. The Order of Australia
2444-466: The BBC Radio 4 series A Point of View , with transcripts appearing in the "Magazine" section of BBC News Online . In this programme James discussed various issues with a slightly humorous slant. Topics covered included media portrayal of torture, young black role models and corporate rebranding . Three of James's broadcasts in 2007 were shortlisted for the 2008 Orwell Prize . In October 2009, James read
2538-608: The Edinburgh Festival Fringe : Clive James in Conversation and Clive James in the Evening . He took the latter show on a limited tour of the UK in 2009. In 1992, James was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). This was enhanced to Officer level (AO) in the 2013 Australia Day Honours . James was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to literature and
2632-818: The Inferno , but that it was more successful where Dante slows down, in the more theological and deliberative cantos of the Purgatorio and Paradiso . In 1980 James published his first book of autobiography, Unreliable Memoirs , which recounted his early life in Australia and extended to over 100 reprintings. It was followed by four other volumes of autobiography: Falling Towards England (1985), which covered his London years; May Week Was in June (1990), which dealt with his time at Cambridge ; North Face of Soho (2006); and The Blaze of Obscurity (2009), concerning his subsequent career as
2726-760: The Oxford Book of Essays (1992, 1999). The Metropolitan Critic (1974), his first collection of literary criticism, was followed by At the Pillars of Hercules (1979), From the Land of Shadows (1982), Snakecharmers in Texas (1988), The Dreaming Swimmer (1992), Even As We Speak (2001), The Meaning of Recognition (2005) and Cultural Amnesia (2007), a collection of miniature intellectual biographies of over 100 significant figures in modern culture, history and politics. A defence of humanism , liberal democracy and literary clarity ,
2820-629: The University of Cambridge , and at University College London where, since retirement in 2003, she has been emerita reader in Italian studies. She is the author of Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity . James and Shaw had two daughters, one of whom is the artist Claerwen James . In April 2012, the Australian Channel Nine programme A Current Affair ran an item in which the former model Leanne Edelsten admitted to an eight-year affair with James beginning in 2004. Shaw evicted her husband from
2914-474: The 435 people who have received the nation's top Order of Australia honours since they were first awarded in 1975, shows they disproportionately attended a handful of elite Victorian secondary schools. Scotch College alumni received the highest number of awards, with 19 former students receiving Australia's [then] highest honour". On 26 January 1980 the Order of Australia Association was created as an incorporated body with membership open to award recipients. It
Clive James - Misplaced Pages Continue
3008-512: The 50 most enjoyable books of the 20th century in his book Pure Pleasure (2000). James developed his television career as a guest commentator on various shows, including as an occasional co-presenter with Tony Wilson on the first series of So It Goes , the Granada Television pop music show. On the show when the Sex Pistols made their TV debut, James commented: "During the recording,
3102-556: The Astors sold the ailing newspaper to US oil giant Atlantic Richfield (now called ARCO) who sold it to Lonrho plc in 1981. It became part of the Guardian Media Group in June 1993, after a rival acquisition bid by The Independent was rejected. Farzad Bazoft , a journalist for The Observer , was executed in Iraq in 1990 on charges of spying. In 2003, The Observer interviewed
3196-717: The Internet. The current extent of the archives available are 1791 to 2000 for The Observer and 1821 to 2000 for The Guardian . They will eventually go up to 2003. In 2023, copies from 2004 onwards and gaps were to be filled to latest edition. The paper was banned in Egypt in February 2008 for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed . The Observer was named the British Press Awards National Newspaper of
3290-567: The Iraqi colonel who had arrested and interrogated Bazoft and who was convinced that Bazoft was not a spy. On 27 February 2005, The Observer Blog was launched. In addition to the weekly Observer Magazine colour supplement which is still present every Sunday, for several years each issue of The Observer came with a different free monthly magazine. These magazines had the titles Observer Sport Monthly , Observer Music Monthly , Observer Woman and Observer Food Monthly . Content from The Observer
3384-488: The Library , including conversations with Ian McEwan , Cate Blanchett , Julian Barnes , Jonathan Miller and Terry Gilliam . In addition to the poetry and prose of James himself, the site featured the works of other literary figures such as Les Murray and Michael Frayn , as well as the works of painters, sculptors and photographers such as John Olsen and Jeffrey Smart . In 2008 James performed in two eponymous shows at
3478-418: The Order of Australia and the award of 199 Honorary Medals of the Order of Australia. Notable honorary awards include: Since 1975, just over 30 per cent of recipients of an Order of Australia honour have been women. The number of nominations and awards for women is trending up, with the 2023 Australia Day Honours resulting in the highest percentage of awards for women to date (47.1 per cent, 47.9 per cent in
3572-578: The Order of Australia. This was done by with the addition of two additional award levels: Knight or Dame (AK or AD) above the level of Companion, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) below Members. The Civil Division was also renamed the General Division, so that awards could be given to those in the Defence Force for non-military achievement. These changes were made on 24 May 1976. The reaction to
3666-481: The Order of Canada, while 537 non-Australians have been appointed to the Order of Australia, with 46 to the Companion level. Public reaction to the new awards was mixed. Only the state Labor governments of Tasmania and South Australia agreed to submit recommendations for the new awards, with the remaining governments affirming their committent to the existing imperial honours system. Newspaper editorials similarly praised
3760-439: The Order were gazetted on 22 December 2015. Yvonne Kenny AM represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . King Charles III , when he was Prince of Wales , was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) on 14 March 1981. As he is not an Australian citizen, even though he was the heir to the Australian throne at the time, this would have required the award to be honorary. To overcome this issue, his appointment
3854-581: The Order would be determined by the Council of the Order of Australia. Awards of the Order of Australia are sometimes made to people who are not citizens of Australia to honour extraordinary achievements. These achievements, or the people themselves, are not necessarily associated with Australia, although they often are. On 1 July 2024, the Australian Honours website listed appointments for 46 Honorary Companions, 118 Honorary Officers, 174 Honorary Members of
Clive James - Misplaced Pages Continue
3948-441: The Queen to reinstate the level of knight or dame and the Queen co-signed letters patent to bring this into effect. The change was publicly announced on 25 March, and gazetted on 17 April 2014. Up to four knights or dames could be appointed each year, by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the chairman of the Order of Australia Council. Five awards of knight and dame were then made, to
4042-522: The UK's most widely used newspaper website and app for news and had increased its audience share by 1% over the preceding year. 23% of consumers, who used websites or apps for news, used The Guardian , which also hosts The Observer online content. This compared to 22% for the Daily Mail website. In September 2024, The Guardian revealed it was in talks to sell The Observer to news website Tortoise Media . Journalists at Guardian Media Group passed
4136-615: The Wilderness of Westminster (1976) and Charles Charming's Challenges on the Pathway to the Throne (1981), and one long autobiographical epic, The River in the Sky (2018). During the 1970s he also collaborated on six albums of songs with Pete Atkin : Atkin and James toured together to promote both the final album, a "contractual obligation" collection consisting of parodies and humour numbers written over
4230-549: The Year (1983), a verse-diary; Other Passports: Poems 1958–1985 , a first collection and The Book of My Enemy (2003), a volume that takes its title from his poem "The Book of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered". He published four mock-heroic poems: The Fate of Felicity Fark in the Land of the Media: a moral poem (1975), Peregrine Prykke's Pilgrimage Through the London Literary World (1976), Britannia Bright's Bewilderment in
4324-466: The advice of then prime minister Gough Whitlam . Before the establishment of the order, Australians could receive British honours , which continued to be issued in parallel until 1992. Appointments to the order are made by the governor-general , "with the approval of The Sovereign", according to recommendations made by the Council for the Order of Australia . Members of the government are not involved in
4418-553: The association are in all the states and territories of Australia as well as the UK and the USA. Total inductees as of July 2024 . The order of wearing Australian and other approved honours is determined by the government. The award is parodied in the play Amigos , where the central character is determined to be awarded the AC, and uses persuasion, bribery and blackmail in his (ultimately successful) attempts to get himself nominated for
4512-498: The award to Prince Philip in a ReachTEL poll. The Australian Labor Party continued to oppose knighthoods and damehoods. Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten stated in March 2014 that the party would again discontinue the level if it were to win the next Australian federal election. The knighthood decision was a significant factor that caused Liberal party members to question Abbott's leadership, with Malcolm Turnbull succeeding in
4606-481: The award. During the 1996 season of the popular television programme Home and Away , the character Pippa Ross was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her years of service as a foster carer. The Observer The Observer is a British newspaper published on Sundays . It is a sister paper to The Guardian and The Guardian Weekly , having been acquired by their parent company, Guardian Media Group Limited , in 1993. First published in 1791, it
4700-411: The awards as an example of Australia's greater independence, whilst also noting that the awards would likely appear second-rate. The Australian stated that There is no longer a British Empire; everyone knows that. But somehow the phrase "imperial honours" still carries a ring of regal authenticity that somehow transcends nationalism. For the time being a recipient ... of the Order of Australia
4794-543: The book was listed among the best of 2007 by The Village Voice . Another volume of essays, The Revolt of the Pendulum , was published in June 2009. He also published Flying Visits , a collection of travel writing for The Observer . Until mid-2014, he wrote the weekly television critique page in the "Review" section of the Saturday edition of The Daily Telegraph . James published several books of poetry, including Poem of
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#17328984176254888-404: The centre an enamelled disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia . The colours of royal blue and gold are taken from the livery colours of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms , the then national colours . The star for knights and dames is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia. The ribbon of
4982-519: The changes to the awards were similarly split along party lines. Following the 1983 federal election , Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke recommitted to the end of recommendations for imperial awards. No knighthoods were awarded during his first term in office and he advised the abolition of the knight/dame level after being re-elected in 1986. During the time the division was active from 1976 to 1983, twelve knights and two dames were created. On 19 March 2014, monarchist prime minister Tony Abbott advised
5076-436: The conditions of a free market: there was no difficulty in recognising that notion as politically illiterate. But for some reason people did have difficulty in realising that it was economically illiterate too." In 2001, James identified as a liberal social democrat . His later views were more commonly aligned with the political right. James strongly supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq , saying in 2007 that "the war only lasted
5170-405: The course material (but having read widely otherwise in English and foreign literature), James graduated with a 2:1 —better than he had expected—and began a PhD thesis on Percy Bysshe Shelley . James became the television critic for The Observer in 1972, remaining in the role until 1982. Mark Lawson described a James review as "so funny it was dangerous to read while holding a hot drink". He
5264-461: The editorship after Dicey's departure, only to be replaced in 1891 by Frederick's wife, Rachel Beer , of the Sassoon family . She remained as editor for thirteen years, combining it in 1893 with the editorship of The Sunday Times , a newspaper that she had also bought. Upon Frederick's death in 1903, the paper was purchased by the newspaper magnate Lord Northcliffe . In 1911, William Waldorf Astor
5358-458: The exception of awards recommended by the soon to be independent government of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea ); however this did not affect the constitutional right of state governments to recommend imperial awards. According to the governor general's then-secretary Sir David Smith , Whitlam was furious when he first saw Devlin's design for the insignia of the order, due to the inclusion of
5452-482: The family home following the revelation. Before this, for most of his working life, James divided his time between a converted warehouse flat in London and the family home in Cambridge. After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales , James wrote a piece for The New Yorker entitled "Requiem", recording his overwhelming grief. From then he mainly declined to comment about their friendship, apart from some remarks in his fifth volume of memoirs, Blaze of Obscurity . James
5546-476: The general division). Advocacy groups such as Honour a Woman and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have called for greater effort to be made to reach equal representation of men and women in the order. In December 2010, The Age reported a study of the educational backgrounds of all people who had received Knight/Dame and Companion level awards at that time. It reported: "An analysis of
5640-447: The government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editorial content. As a result, the paper soon took a strong line against radicals such as Thomas Paine , Francis Burdett and Joseph Priestley . In 1807, the brothers decided to relinquish editorial control, naming Lewis Doxat as the new editor. Seven years later, the brothers sold The Observer to William Innell Clement ,
5734-610: The governments of each respective state and territory, and three ex officio members (the chief of the Defence Force , the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and a public servant responsible for honours policy). The Council chair as of August 2024 is Shelley Reys. The Council makes recommendations to the governor-general. Awards are announced on Australia Day and on the King's Birthday public holiday in June, on
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#17328984176255828-572: The governor-general to remove an individual from the order, who may cancel an award. Announcements of all awards, cancellations and resignations appear in the Commonwealth Gazette . Nomination forms are confidential and not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) . The reasoning behind a nomination being successful or unsuccessful—and even the attendees of the meetings where such nominations are discussed—remains confidential. As
5922-533: The left for much of his life. In a 2006 interview in The Sunday Times , James said of himself: "I was brought up on the proletarian left, and I remain there. The fair go for the workers is fundamental, and I don't believe the free market has a mind." In a speech given in 1991, he criticised privatisation, saying: "The idea that Britain's broadcasting system—for all its drawbacks one of the country's greatest institutions—was bound to be improved by being subjected to
6016-672: The media. In 2003 he was awarded the Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal for Literature . He received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Sydney and East Anglia . In April 2008, James was awarded a Special Award for Writing and Broadcasting by the judges of the Orwell Prize . He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2010. He was an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge (his alma mater). In
6110-420: The midnight voices of my own fate should be the music of Pete Atkin continues to rank high among the blessings of my life". In 2013, he issued his translation of Dante 's Divine Comedy . The work, adopting quatrains to translate the original's terza rima , was well received by Australian critics. Writing for The New York Times , Joseph Luzzi thought it often failed to capture the more dramatic moments of
6204-523: The name of Tyrone Power 's character in the 1942 film This Above All . James' father, Albert Arthur James, was taken prisoner by the Japanese during World War II . Although he survived the prisoner-of-war camp , he died when the American B-24 carrying him and other freed Allied POWs ran into the tail of a typhoon en route from Okinawa to Manila, and crashed into the mountains of southeastern Taiwan. He
6298-417: The occasion of a special announcement by the governor-general (usually honorary awards), and on the appointment of a new governor-general. The governor-general presents the order's insignia to new appointees. Appointments to the order may be made posthumously as long as a person was nominated for an award whilst they were still alive. Awardees may subsequently resign from the order, and the Council may advise
6392-649: The order at all levels. Nomination forms are submitted to the Director, Honours Secretariat, a position within the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia , at Government House, Canberra , which are then forwarded to the Council for the Order of Australia . The council consists of 19 members: seven selected by the prime minister (described as "community representatives"), eight appointed by
6486-407: The order in descending order of seniority are: Honorary awards at all levels may be made to non-citizens. These awards are made additional to the quotas. The order's insignia was designed by Stuart Devlin . The badge of the Order of Australia is a convex disc (gold for AKs, ADs and ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing a single flower of mimosa . At the centre is a ring, representing
6580-416: The order is royal blue with a central stripe of mimosa blossoms. Awards in the military division are edged with 1.5 mm golden bands. AKs, male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet and male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on a bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired. A gold lapel pin for daily wear
6674-405: The outgoing governor-general , Quentin Bryce ; her successor, Peter Cosgrove ; a recent chief of the Defence Force , Angus Houston ; a recent governor of New South Wales , Marie Bashir ; and Prince Philip . This last award was widely met with ridicule and dismay by many in the Australian media. The award was also heavily criticised in the community, with 72% disapproving and 12% in favour of
6768-587: The paper since 2007. Every four weeks the paper includes The Observer Food Monthly magazine, and in September 2013 it launched Observer Tech Monthly , a science and technology section which won the Grand Prix at the 2014 Newspaper Awards. Previously, the main paper had come with a larger range of supplements including Sport , Business & Media , Review , Escape (a travel supplement), The Observer Magazine and various special interest monthlies, such as The Observer Food Monthly , Observer Women monthly which
6862-416: The paper to Joseph Snowe, who also took over the editor's chair. In 1870, wealthy businessman Julius Beer bought the paper and appointed Edward Dicey as editor, whose efforts succeeded in reviving circulation. Though Beer's son Frederick became the owner upon Julius's death in 1880, he had little interest in the newspaper and was content to leave Dicey as editor until 1889. Henry Duff Traill took over
6956-431: The paper was restyled. An article on the paper's website previewing the new version stated that "The News section, which will incorporate Business and personal finance, will be home to a new section, Seven Days, offering a complete round-up of the previous week's main news from Britain and around the world, and will also focus on more analysis and comment." In July 2021, Ofcom announced that The Guardian continued to be
7050-563: The paper, which William did on the condition that Garvin also agree to edit the Pall Mall Gazette , which was also a property of the Astor family. Garvin departed as editor in 1942. Ownership passed to Waldorf's sons in 1948, with David taking over as editor. He remained in the position for 27 years, during which time he turned it into a trust-owned newspaper employing, among others, George Orwell , Paul Jennings and C. A. Lejeune . In 1977,
7144-528: The poem "Japanese Maple" which was published in The New Yorker in 2014 and described as his "farewell poem". The New York Times called it "a poignant meditation on his impending death". In a BBC interview with Charlie Stayt , broadcast on 31 March 2015, James described himself as "near to death but thankful for life". In October 2015, he admitted to feeling "embarrassment" at still being alive thanks to experimental drug treatment. Until June 2017, he wrote
7238-672: The prime minister alone, rather than by the Council of the Order of Australia, as is the case with all lower levels of the order. In accordance with the statutes of 2014, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , was created a Knight of the Order by letters patent signed by the Queen on 7 January 2015, on Abbott's advice. Prince Philip's knighthood was announced as part of the Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2015 and his appointment attracted criticism of what Abbott described as his "captain's call". Abbott responded by announcing that future recommendations for appointments as Knights and Dames of
7332-431: The recommendation of appointments, other than for military and honorary awards. The King of Australia is the sovereign head of the order, and the governor-general is the principal companion and chancellor of the order. The governor-general's official secretary , Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of the order. The order is divided into a general and a military division. The five levels of appointment to
7426-557: The sea, with the word Australia below two branches of mimosa. The whole disc is topped by the Crown of St Edward . The AC badge is decorated with citrines , blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge is similar, without the citrines. For the AM badge, only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain. The AK/AD badge is similar to that of the AC badge, but with the difference that it contains at
7520-461: The songs in the late 1990s, triggered largely by the creation by Steve Birkill of an Internet mailing list "Midnight Voices" in 1997, led to the reissue of the six albums on CD between 1997 and 2001, as well as live performances by the pair. A double album of previously unrecorded songs written in the seventies and entitled The Lakeside Sessions: Volumes 1 and 2 was released in 2002 and Winter Spring , an album of new material written by James and Atkin
7614-476: The task of keeping the little bastards under control was given to me. With the aid of a radio microphone, I was able to shout them down, but it was a near thing ... they attacked everything around them and had difficulty in being polite even to each other". James subsequently hosted the ITV show Clive James on Television , in which he showcased unusual or (often unintentionally) amusing television programmes from around
7708-513: The world, notably the Japanese TV show Endurance . After his move to the BBC in 1988, he hosted a similarly formatted programme called Saturday Night Clive (1989–1991), which began on BBC2 but was popular enough to move to BBC1 in 1991. It returned in 1994 on Sunday nights, under the title Sunday Night Clive . In 1995 he set up Watchmaker Productions to produce The Clive James Show for ITV, and
7802-428: The years, and James's own Felicity Fark epic poem. James wrote the album sleeve notes, which mostly linked the songs with thinly disguised jibes at popular artists and trends. On stage James both read from his poem, and introduced the album songs. Despite the success of the tour, there were no more recordings by Atkin, who pursued other opportunities and eventually became a BBC radio producer. A revival of interest in
7896-528: Was "near the end". He said that he was also diagnosed with emphysema and kidney failure in early 2010. On 3 September 2013, an interview with journalist Kerry O'Brien , Clive James: The Kid from Kogarah , was broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . The interview was filmed in the library of his old college at Cambridge University. In the extended interview, James discussed his illness and confronting mortality. James wrote
7990-629: Was a heavy drinker and smoker. He recorded in May Week Was in June his habit of filling a hubcap ashtray daily. At various times he wrote of attempts, intermittently successful, to give up drinking and smoking. He smoked 80 cigarettes a day for a number of years before giving up in 2005. (Prior to this, he had been successful in giving up smoking for 13 years, beginning in his early 30s.) In April 2011, after media speculation that he had suffered kidney failure, James confirmed in June 2012 that B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia "had beaten him" and that he
8084-515: Was able to read, with varying fluency, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Japanese. A tango enthusiast, he travelled to Buenos Aires for dance lessons and had a dance floor in his house. James was a fan of the St George Dragons and wrote admiringly of Rugby League Immortal Reg Gasnier who was a schoolmate at Sydney Technical High School. He guest presented one episode of The Footy Show in 2005. For much of his life, James
8178-491: Was also one of the original team of presenters of the BBC's The Late Show , hosting a round-table discussion on Friday nights. His major documentary series Fame in the 20th Century (1993) was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC , in Australia by the ABC and in the United States by the PBS network. This series dealt with the concept of "fame" in the 20th century, following over
8272-454: Was approached by James Louis Garvin , the editor of The Observer , about purchasing the newspaper from Northcliffe. Northcliffe and Garvin had a disagreement over the issue of Imperial Preference , and Northcliffe had given Garvin the option of finding a buyer for the paper. Northcliffe sold the paper to Astor, who transferred ownership to his son Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor four years later. Astor convinced his father to purchase
8366-736: Was at times merciless and selections from the column were published in three books – Visions Before Midnight , The Crystal Bucket and Glued to the Box – and finally in a compendium, On Television . He wrote literary criticism for newspapers, magazines and periodicals in Britain, Australia and the United States, including, among many others, the Australian Book Review , The Monthly , The Atlantic , The New York Review of Books , The Liberal and The Times Literary Supplement . John Gross included James's essay "A Blizzard of Tiny Kisses" in
8460-502: Was buried at Sai Wan War Cemetery in Hong Kong . James would later state that his life's works originated in his father's death. James, an only child, was brought up by his mother (Minora May, née Darke), a factory worker, in the Sydney suburbs of Kogarah and Jannali , living some years with his English maternal grandfather. He was educated at Sydney Technical High School (despite winning
8554-447: Was created by an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Australia by special letters patent signed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . In March 2014 the knight and dame levels, which had been abolished in 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke , were reintroduced to the Order of Australia by Tony Abbott . At the same time, Abbott announced that future appointments at this level would be recommended by
8648-498: Was established on 14 February 1975 by letters patent of Queen Elizabeth II , acting as Queen of Australia , and on the advice of the newly elected Labor prime minister , Gough Whitlam . The original order had three levels: Companion (AC), Officer (AO) and Member (AM) as well as two divisions: Civil Division and Military Division. Whitlam had previously announced in 1972 (on his third day in office) that his government would no longer nominate persons for British Imperial honours (with
8742-582: Was launched in 2006, Observer Sport Monthly and The Observer Film Magazine . The Observer and its sister newspaper The Guardian operate a visitor centre in London called The Newsroom. It contains their archives, including bound copies of old editions, a photographic library and other items such as diaries, letters and notebooks. This material may be consulted by members of the public. The Newsroom also mounts temporary exhibitions and runs an educational programme for schools. In November 2007, The Observer and The Guardian made their archives available over
8836-559: Was released in 2003. This was followed by Midnight Voices , an album of remakes of the best Atkin/James songs from the early albums, and, in 2015, by The Colours of the Night , which included several newly completed songs. James acknowledged the importance of the Midnight Voices group in bringing to wider attention the lyric-writing aspect of his career. He wrote in November 1997, "That one of
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