Grand Duchy of Avram
From Lomwiki, the micronation encyclopaedia
| Grand Duchy of Avram | |
 Arms | |
| Motto: none Musical Anthem: none | |
| |
| Location: | Sorell, Tasmania, Australia |
| Co-ordinates: | 42°46′59″S 147°33′45″E (Sorell) |
| Area: | None - non-territorial entity |
| Capital: | n/a |
| Membership: | < 5 |
| Date of foundation: | 1980s |
| Leadership: | John Charlton Rudge (John the Grand Duke of Avram) |
| Organisational structure: | Absolute monarchy |
| Language: | English |
| Currency: | 1 Ducal = ? |
The Grand Duchy of Avram is an Australian micronation founded in the early 1980s by John Charlton Rudge (who sources also alternately name John Avram and John Charlton His Grace the Most Noble the Duke of Avram[1]), an anti-taxation campaigner, hermetic kabbalah adherent and former state Member of Parliament who resides in Tasmania. He generally refers to himself as the "Duke of Avram".
"Sir John Rudge" first came to public attention in the mid 1970s, when a report in the The Age newspaper named him as the Tasmanian Agent General of the Principality of Hutt River, and noted his elevation to the title "Lord Enoch", which was conferred upon him by Prince Leonard during a meeting at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport on 21 August, 1976.[2]
In a hand-written letter on "Lord Enoch" letterhead, addressed to the Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, dated 7 November 1977, Rudge states that he is intending to visit the UK, and seeks the Queen's permission to use this title during his stay, "to agree with [his] passport".
Rudge's letter was referred to the office of the Queen's Australian vice-regal representative, the Governor General, whose Official Secretary, David I Smith, responded in a letter dated 23 November 1977, which states: "Records held in the Governor-General's office show that you have received neither a peerage nor a knighthood from Her Majesty...", and that "no official approval could be given for you to use any titles." The letter also notes "...your Australian Passport has been issued in the name of John Charlton Rudge", which is described as being "in the correct form".
The earliest known incarnation of the Duchy was a bank which initially operated from retail premises owned by Rudge at 28 Tamar Avenue, George Town, Tasmania, which issued its own banknotes and coinage. This enterprise was later relocated to Strahan, on Tasmania's west coast. Customers were required to exchange Australian currency for the Avram equivalents in order to transact business in Rudge's store. In an attempt to circumvent Australian banking statutes Rudge referred to the operation as a b_nk.
The unlicensed nature of the Avram "b_nk" roused the ire of Australian financial regulatory authorities, who confiscated Avram's entire currency reserves and initiated proceedings against him in the Federal Court of Australia. Eventually, after a total of six court cases, costing the federal government some $22 million Australian Dollars, the courts ruled that Rudge's activities were not illegal, permitting him to resume them.
He has issued numerous sets of high-denomination coins and banknotes in the name of the Royal Bank of Avram since the 1980s (most recently, in 2005), and has asserted to media representatives that the bank operates from a number of unspecified sites inside and outside of Tasmania. <refer to notes by Clive re phone conversation>
Rudge's success in what was perceived as a David and Goliath battle ensured him a degree of notoriety, and this in turn no doubt assisted his election as a conservative member of the Tasmanian state parliament, where he served a single term and held the position of Shadow Minister for Construction, as a member of the Liberal Party of Australia.
He later served as a councillor and Deputy Mayor of the municipal council of Sorell. His term of office on the council was at times controversial, and on one occasion public accusations of corruption made by him against a council employee resulted in legal action being initiated against him by the person accused.
Rudge claims dozens of "noble" and "religious" titles (among them "Earl of Enoch" and "Cardinal Archbishop of The Royal See"), which he asserts are of ancient origin. He also claims to be the grand master of a handful of ancient orders of chivalry (all of which are unknown to independent scholars), and to travel on an Australian passport that lists his various titles. However, none of these claims are independently verifiable, and most of his titles appear to be of relatively modern hermetic kabbalistic origins. He has also frequently promoted his biographical entry in a publication entitled Who's Who of the World - where he is listed between Sir Elton John and Pope John Paul II - and has an entry longer than both - as evidence of the legitimacy of his claims - however the entry is in fact a paid insertion in a vanity publication.
Unlike other Australian micronations, the Grand Duchy of Avram has never maintained territorial aspirations, and Rudge has stated that it is a "state of mind".
References
- ↑ Template loop detected: Template:Cite web
- ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ov4QAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RpIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7145,5504328&dq=hutt-river+province&hl=en |Casino on the cards for Hutt|The Age|23 August 1976|Access date: 19-02-2010
Bibliography
- "If at first you don't secede..." by Mark Dapin, The Sydney Morning Herald - Good Weekend, February 12, 2005, pp 47–50
- "Unusual World Coins", by Colin R Bruce, Krause Publications, 2005, ISBN 0-87349-793-7, p21
- Diplomatically Challenged Coins
- Tasmanian Supreme Court case transcript that describes a 1999 defamation case brought by the manager of Sorell Council against "John Avram", a member of that council.
- Tasmanian Parliamentary website entry listing the Duke's name as "John Charlton His Grace the Most Noble the Duke of Avram".
- Template:Cite news
External link
- Grand Duchy of Avram website.
