The Order of the Smile awarded to my father,

Bert Sullivan, in 1982.

Photograph of the medal

James Herbert ('Bert') Sullivan was a lifelong Esperantist and during his career as a teacher he taught Esperanto to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children. He also wrote or co-wrote a number of textbooks including Teach Yourself Esperanto, published by Hodder Headline Plc, which was still in print until quite recently.

At one stage he hit upon the idea of setting up a scheme of Esperanto Uncles and Aunts ('Geonkloj' in Esperanto, pronounced gay-onk-loy). The Geonkloj scheme aimed to link schoolchildren learning Esperanto with adult Esperantists in other countries, so as to further the children's skill in the language and enhance their view of the world outside. Having established the scheme he then continued to administer it until his sight began to fail him in his late 70s, and he himself also adopted the role of an 'Onklo' to a group of schoolchildren in Gdansk, Poland.

Esperanto was invented in Poland, by Dr L.L.Zamenof, and apart from the schoolchildren Bert had many correspondents there. Early in 1982, long before the fall of Communism, he was contacted by a newspaper in Poland informing him that he had been awarded the Order of the Smile and inviting him to visit Poland as their guest for the investiture. Suspicious that he might be inadvertently lending his name to some Communist-inspired propaganda, he asked one of his regular correspondents there whether he had heard of this award. His correspondent wrote back immediately to tell him

(a) that the Order was not politically motivated; although sponsored by a newspaper, it was nevertheless free of any political interference.

(b) that in Poland it was deemed a great honour because it was based on nominations received from children for adults who had in some way brightened up their lives, and

(c) two previous recipients of the award were Sir Peter Ustinov and the present Pope.

So my father decided that if it was good enough for Karol and Sir Peter, it was certainly good enough for him! In November 1982, he and my mother travelled to Warsaw for the presentation as guests of the newspaper and the Polish Esperanto Association, and later visited the school in Gdansk whose children had nominated him.

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