Decoration of the Orders of the White Rose of Finland awarded in Melbourne
This week in Melbourne our Ambassador had the honour of awarding the decoration of the Orders of the White Rose of Finland to Mrs Aira Anna Pauliina Laitala on behalf of the President of the Republic of Finland, Mr Sauli Niinistö.
Mrs. Pauliina Laitala with her daughters who joined her in celebrating this very special occasion.
Mrs. Laitala volunteered as a “Lotta” during the Second World War, a voluntary organisation that was mobilised during the war to replace men who had been conscripted into the army.
Decorations of Finland’s three Orders are awarded on a comprehensive and wide-ranging basis to citizens who have distinguished themselves in services to the country in different fields. While the orders of knighthood trace their origins back to the Middle Ages, today’s orders of merit, which are merit-based and with multiple categories, developed gradually from the end of the seventeenth century.