Arthur Roden Cutler VC

Sir Arthur Roden Cutler VC AK KCMG KCVO CBE (May 24, 1916 – February 22, 2002) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Following his military service he served in a number of Australian diplomatic missions and became the longest serving Governor of New South Wales. Photo of Victoria Cross recipient Arthur Roden Cutler, migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference site with permission. ... Photo of Victoria Cross recipient Arthur Roden Cutler, migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference site with permission. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... Queen Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross... May 24 is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... List of Governors of New South Wales See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ...

Early life

Arthur Roden Cutler was born on May 24, 1916. He grew up in the Sydney Harbour suburb of Manly where he attended the Manly Village Public School. At the age of 15 he enrolled at Sydney Boys High School. After school he worked for the Texas Company Australasia, later to become Texaco. He studied economics during the night at the University of Sydney, joining the Sydney University Regiment in 1936. On 10 November 1939, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the militia. He enjoyed all sports, especially riding, rifle shooting and water polo, and was awarded a University Blue in swimming. May 24 is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge located on Port Jackson Port Jackson is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia, also known as Sydney Harbour and is the largest natural harbour in the world. ... Look up Manly in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Manly may refer to: Manly, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia Manly, Queensland is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia Manly, Iowa is a city in the United States of America Manly is also an adjective referring to masculinity. ... Sydney Boys High School is a secondary school in Sydney, Australia. ... Texaco is the name of an American oil company that was merged into Chevron Corporation in 2001. ... The University of Sydney, established in Sydney in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sir Roden’s heroism was demonstrated early in life. As an 18 year-old lifesaver, he swam to the aid of a surfer who was being circled by a large shark. The shark brushed him twice as he helped the surfer to the beach.

In April 1940, he transferred from the citizen's militia to the Second Australian Imperial Force, receiving a commission in the 2/5 Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, Australian 7th Division of the Australian Imperial Force. Following the federation of Australia in 1901, the six colonial militias were merged to form a national reserve army. ... The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) was the name given to the volunteer units of the Australian Army in World War II. The 2nd AIF was formed, from 1939 onwards, to fight overseas: most army units were Militia (reserve) units and under Australian law at the time, Militia troops... The 7th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force. ...

Military service

In 1941, Cutler served with the 2/5th in the Syria-Lebanon campaign. During the period between 19 June–6 July, in the Merdjayoun-Damour area of Syria, Lieutenant Cutler's exploits included repairing a telephone line under heavy fire, repulsing enemy tank attacks, setting up an outpost to bring fire to a road used by the enemy and, with a 25-pound field gun, demolishing a post threatening the Australian advance. Later, at Damour, he was seriously wounded and when rescued 26 hours later his leg had to be amputated. Cutler received the Victoria Cross for his actions in the Merdjayoun-Damour area. The Syria-Lebanon campaign was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon in 1941, during World War II. The Allied offensive, also known as Operation Exporter, was aimed at preventing Nazi Germany from using Vichy territory as a springboard for attacks on the Allied stronghold of Egypt... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... Damour (Arabic: دامور) is a Lebanese Christian town that is 12 miles south of Beirut. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Later life

Following the war, Cutler began a long career in the Australian diplomatic service. At the age of 29 he was appointed High Commissioner to New Zealand (1946–1952). Other postings within the Commonwealth followed, he served in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) (1952–1955) and was the Australian Minister in Egypt during the Suez Crisis in 1956. Diplomat redirects here. ... Combatants Israel United Kingdom France Egypt Commanders Moshe Dayan Charles Keightley Pierre Barjot Gamal Abdel Nasser Abdel Hakim Amer Strength 175,000 Israeli 45,000 British 34,000 French 70,000 Casualties 197 Israeli KIA 56 British KIA 91 British WIA 10 French KIA 43 French WIA 650 KIA 2...

Cutler was appointed Commander of Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1957 and acted as Secretary-General of the South-East Asia Council of Ministers meeting in Canberra in January 1957. He was Australian High Commissioner in Pakistan, (1958–1961), and Australian Consul-General in New York, (1961–1965), during which period he was the Australian delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in 1962, 1963 and 1964. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... NY redirects here. ... The United Nations General Assembly (GA) is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations. ...

His final diplomatic posting, in 1965, as Ambassador to The Netherlands, was cut short in 1966 when he returned home as Governor of New South Wales, an office that he served for a record 15 years, through four Premiers, and a change of Government, after decades of conservative rule. Such was his popularity that the Labor Premier, Neville Wran, extended his last term until 1981. As the longest-serving state governor, Cutler occasionally acted as Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia in the absence of the Governor-General of Australia; his advice to the then Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, that he should warn Prime Minister Gough Whitlam of his impending dismissal was ignored. List of Governors of New South Wales See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ... Neville Kenneth Wran AC QC (born October 11, 1926) was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. ... Sir John Robert Kerr, AK, GCMG, GCVO (24 September 1914 – 24 March 1991), 13th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and 18th Governor-General of Australia, dismissed the Labor government of Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975, marking the climax of one of the most significant... Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916), known as Gough Whitlam (, pronounced Goff), Australian politician and 21st Prime Minister of Australia. ...

For his diplomatic and gubernatorial services to Australia, he was honoured by The Queen as a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) in December 1965. He was further honoured as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1970, a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 1980 and received the high honour of Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) in 1981. Throughout the republican debate and referendum he remained a staunch monarchist and proud Australian, believing the monarchy brought stability, continuity and tradition to his country. In recent years he co-operated with the popular Australian novelist Colleen McCullough on a biography, Roden Cutler, VC, which appeared in 1998. Cutler died on February 22, 2002 following a long illness. He was accorded the rare honour of a State Funeral on Thursday February 28, 2002 by the New South Wales state government. On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... Queen Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ... Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... The 1999 Australian republic referendum was a two question referendum held on 6 November 1999. ... “Kingdom” redirects here. ... Colleen McCullough (born 1 June 1937) is an internationally acclaimed Australian author. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 50  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $305,437 (1st)  - Product per capita  $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006)  - Population  6,817,100 (1st)  - Density  8. ...

Sir Roden Cutler Charity

The Sir Roden Cutler Charity is a charity that now helps the elderly and physically handicapped to be mobile and also help with transport to and from their medical appointments. Many people have contributed to this cause, notably Sir Roden Cutler's former High School Sydney Boys High and his Primary school, Manly Primary, who have also dedicated memorials to Sir Roden Cutler on the 90th anniversary of his birth. Sydney Boys High School is a secondary school in Sydney, Australia. ...

Sources

• The Times, 2002, Obituary: Sir Roden Cutler, VC.
• Register of War Memorials in New South Wales, 2002, Sir (Arthur) Roden Cutler