A Statement by His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council
It is with great pride that we have seen the achievements of a member of the Ethiopian Community in Australia recognized in the Australia Day Honours, announced on January 26, 2019. Ato Haileluel Gebre-Selassie, of Victoria, Australia, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to the African community of Victoria.
He was, in June 2017, also made a Member of the Order of the Star of Honour of Ethiopia (MSE) by the Ethiopian Crown in recognition for his decades of outstanding leadership within the Ethiopian and African communities of Australia, and for his pioneering work in aiding the establishment of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Australia. I was pleased to have been able to personally invest Ato Haileluel with his MSE during the Crown’s Commemorative Tour of Australia in 2017.
The Crown Council of Ethiopia profoundly congratulates Haileluel Gebre-Selassie on his award of the OAM. He and his fellow Ethiopians of the diaspora have demonstrated the great contributions of Ethiopians to communities around the world. Haileluel typifies those many Ethiopians who, during the four decades of the interregnum, have maintained the unique dignity and sense of our People, in the face of many privations.
They have kept alive the spirit of Ethiopianness while embracing their host countries around the world, contributing not only to their host nations, but also repatriating invaluable financial and moral sustenance to their homeland.
Congratulations, Ato Haileluel, and our thanks to you. God Bless Australia for welcoming and recognizing you!
God Bless Ethiopia!
