National Medal

The National Medal: The National Medal was one of the first three elements of the Australian system of honours and awards introduced in early 1975. When the Medal was introduced it recognised 15 years' diligent service by members of the Defence Force, Australian police forces, and fire and ambulance services. In 1982, the Defence Force Service Awards provided for long service in the Australian Defence Force and eligibility for the National Medal was varied to enable persons who had participated in part-time and volunteer service in organisations other than the Defence Force to qualify for the National Medal. Progressively since then, members of the Australian Protective Service and correctional and emergency services have become eligible for the award the National Medal. A clasp to the Medal is given for each 10 years' additional service. All long service, and meritorious service medals were discontinued with the issue of the National Medal. The medal is bronze, with a riband of 8 stripes of gold and 7 stripes of blue. Following decisions of the government in 1997, the regulations for the National Medal underwent a comprehensive review and reworking. As a result The Queen approved new regulations in 1999.

Two significant new features of the National Medal are:

• The regulations were amended to allow members of qualifying volunteer search and rescue groups to receive the Medal.
• Provision was made for persons to more easily aggregate their service should they serve in different qualifying organisations for the Medal.
• Since 1975, some 60,000 National Medals have been awarded for 15 years' diligent service and a further 25000 clasps to the Medal.
  
  We don't 'nickel and dime' you by supplying scant, unusable riband lengths, or worse, making riband a hidden-in-the-fine-print optional extra - every medal comes with 250mm of riband (full size) and 150mm (miniature). Ample for a complete professional court mount.