Of all the orders and decorations open to members of the Australian Defence Force, the Victoria Cross remains the most honoured,the most coveted. It marks its wearer as one possessing supreme courage, a disregard for danger and complete devotion to duty.
The Victoria Cross (VC) was instituted on 29 January 1856 and was made retrospective from 1 August 1854
The Victoria Cross, according to the Instituting Royal Warrant establishing rules and ordinances governing its bestowal, shall only be awarded for the most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.
In the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 525 Monday 4 February 1991, the Victoria Cross took its place as the highest Australian award in the Australian System of Honours and Awards. It may be awarded to members of the Defence Force or other persons determined by the Minister of State for Defence. Bars are awarded for further similar acts of bravery.
The Victoria Cross may also be awarded posthumously and recipients are entitled to use the letters VC after their names.
The design remains identical in every way to the British award, a Maltese Cross in bronze adorned by a crown surmounted by a crowned lion, the emblem of the British royal family, in the centre, with a scroll bearing the inscription, For Valour ;. On the reverse is inscribed the date of the action. The name and regiment of the holder are inscribed on the back of the suspension bar.
The ribbon is red for all Services, although until July 1918, the Royal Navy used the blue ribbon
The first Australian to earn the Victoria Cross was Captain (later Sir Neville) Howse for rescuing a wounded man on 24 July 1900 while serving as an officer of the NSW Army Medical Corps during the South African War 1899-1902 (Boer War). As at March, 2002, the youngest Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross was Private JWA Jackson VC, who was 18 years 9 months.
To find this cache you will need to do a little research on the web.
During the planning for this cache I found a VC recipient who was born in Rockingham.
To find the final co-ordinates, you will need to find the name of this Hero, and answer the following questions.
19aa = the year I was awarded the VC
19bb = the year of my death
The final cache is located at S32 23.0aa E115 46.0(bb-25)
You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.
You need to bring a pen or pencil. There is no room for swaps. The container has been changed to a regular, with lots of room for trackages and swaps now. Enjoy the search.