In 1994, while I was organizing charity events for various children’s organizations, I was approached by the then Grand Prior of Australia, stating he believed I would be an asset to the Order of St John. I must confess, I did not know a great deal about
the Order at that time, but quickly learned of the humanitarian work they accomplished throughout the world. Needless to say, I became intrigued by the history and impressed by their mission to help those in need.
For the next year, I acquainted myself with the Order’s history, met with the dedicated Knights and Dames that had established the Order in Australia and witnessed the generosity and kindness of the Knights and Dames in their quest to help those less fortunate. I was truly impressed by the compassion and devotion of the Australian founders, who later became my mentors and who, to this day, have my utmost respect and admiration.
I was invested in 1995 and was quickly appointed to the position as Chancellor. In 1997, while attending an Investiture in Toronto, Canada, I was elevated to the rank of Commander by the Prince Grand Master, HE Joseph Frendo Cumbo. I felt blessed to be a recipient of many of his stories about the Order and his life. I shared a warm, trusting and respectful relationship with him until his passing in 2006.
Over the past two decades, with the assistance of the Knights and Dames, I co-ordinated fundraising functions for such charities as Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Children’s Leukemia & Cancer Institute Australia, Father Chris Riley’s Youth off the Streets program, Royal Alexandria Hospital for Children, Scalabrini Village Nursing Homes, The Spastic Centre of New South Wales, Spine Care Village Foundation, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Leukaemia Research, Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick, Sydney City Mission Youth Initiatives Program, The New Children’s Hospital Westmead and others. We have spent many hours organizing and laughing in each other’s company and built a bond with one another that is cherished to this day, their support is sincerely appreciated during difficult times.
I am particularly proud of our 5-year commitment to the Sydney Children’s Hospital to finance leukemia research. Their September 2013 press release reads as follows:
Australian researchers help uncover the genetic cause of childhood leukemia Australian researchers at the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) and Sydney Children’s Hospital are part of an international research collaboration that has discovered a genetic link specific to the risk of childhood leukemia for the first time.
The paper has been published in Nature Genetics and is the first study to find an inheritable gene that can cause acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer.
Undertaken by a worldwide team of researchers and supported in Australia by the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, the study observes families in which multiple cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia have been diagnosed.
Dr. David Ziegler, Clinical Research Fellow at CCIA, a pediatric oncologist at Sydney Children’s Hospital and lead Australian author of the paper, says the discovery has identified an important genetic cause of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and will ultimately help find better ways to treat it. 
“Leukaemia cells often contain many different genetic mutations, making it difficult to detect which ones actually cause leukemia,” says Dr. Ziegler.
“We approached this study differently by looking for mutations carried by individuals who came from rare families in which there were multiple cases of childhood leukemia. The genetic mutation that was discovered is a critical driving factor and can be used as a fresh goal for the development of new therapies.
“This discovery unveils the possibility of a genetic test for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, similar to that conducted for breast cancer, which could allow affected families to prevent childhood leukemia in future generations,” continues Dr Ziegler.
Dr. Ziegler hopes that ongoing research will identify other genes that cause acute lymphoblastic leukemia and reveal how these inherited factors can be targeted, allowing for the development of improved therapies and higher cure rates.
A momentous achievement for a group of Knights and Dames!
In 2012 I was elected as the first Dame to become a voting member on the International Supreme Council, and currently, hold the position as Deputy Grand Chancellor. I attribute this honor to the wonderful training I received from the Australian founders, and the inspiration and encouragement of the Grand Prior, Knights, and Dames. The International Supreme Council members are easy to work with and have always treated me with respect, for this, I sincerely thank them as kind and honorable men. I have formed brotherly relationships in this domain for which I am truly grateful.
For the young Dames reading these words I can impart that hard work, dedication and most importantly, heartfelt passion to accomplish one’s mission in life, is the key to successfully creating an environment of peace and harmony in your life. Whether it be charity work, career or family life, a positive outlook, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and always displaying fairness are noble attributes in any life situation.
After 23 years in the Order, I have witnessed up and downs in the daily running of the Order, but the camaraderie of brotherhood and respect for age-old traditions always prevails; problems are solved, and we grow in strength through the experience.
I am very proud of the charitable accomplishments and the growth of the Order in Australia, with its headquarters located, is Sydney, a Priory in Adelaide and a Commandery being set up in Melbourne. Australia enjoys a fellowship amongst its members that is unique in today’s world. We are now moving into a new phase of encouraging and training the next generation to take up the mantle of our charity work so that the Order may continue to flourish well into the 21st century.
The vetting process in Australia is very strict with only experienced charity workers being nominated to the Order; they are bestowing a Knighthood for their services rendered to their community. This process works very well in Australia, as our members are experienced charity workers and generous in their community spirit. We will continue to use this model and improve on it in the coming years with fresh ideas from the young.
On the international scene, we as Knights and Dames of the Order should be very proud and sing the praises of all Grand Priories. I have witnessed Austria’s assistance to help those in need, Canada’s generous donations to His Eminence Cardinal Collins, Germany’s devotion to assisting children, Hungary’s dedication to assisting the poor, Malta’s commitment to helping those in need, Sweden supporting the sick, the Orient’s dedication to their people in multiple areas, the Ukraine’s hands-on assistance to orphanages and the United Kingdom’s dedication to third world schools. I encourage you to visit the Order’s website at www.shosj.org to peruse a more detailed view of the amazing humanitarian work that each Grand Priory has achieved.