Royal Decoration for Salesian Missionary in Thailand
BANGKOK: 13th August 2006 -- Fr Charles Velardo has
been awarded a Royal Decoration, the Gold Medal of the Most Admirable
Order of the Direkgunabhorn, for "his commitment in favour of the
disabled and of the blind in particular. Fr Velardo has featured
in austraLasia a number of times for his outstanding work as Director
of the Skills Development Centre for the Blind at Pakkred, on the
northern outreaches of Bangkok. The medal was bestowed on 29th July him
by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, though it had been gazetted
much earlier in communiques from the Office of Prime Minister regarding
the awarding of decorations to persons other than Thai nationals.
It is this fact, that Fr Velardo is not a Thai, that makes his award so
much the more the recognition that it is.
The Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn is
the Thai version of other Royal (or national) honour systems such as
the British or Australian honours systems respectively. There are seven
levels of the Most Admirable Order, beginning with Knight Grand
Cross. The seventh level is the Silver Medal. Each level is
an act of Royal Conferment, usually for 'devotional service to the
Kingdom'. The definition of 'devotional service' is usually at least
five years of such service and/or outstanding service to State,
Religion, the People. Whichever way one looks at Fr Velardo's
service it applies! The Ministries involved are required to
certify the excellence of service. In Fr Velardo's case this was
the Ministry for Social Development and Security.
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