Arthur, who will be 100 in August, fought in Tobruk as a member of the 2/32nd Battalion.
He marched today in the Perth ANZAC Day parade, along with… wait for it… some of his SIXTEEN children and forty two grandchildren.
Outstanding performance on both fronts there, Arthur!

Advertisements

Found online:

Dear Australian media and the general public, it’s time for an ANZAC Day education.

Below is a list of things that current, and former members, of the Australian and New Zealand Defence Force would like to point out prior to ANZAC Day:

ANZAC Day marks the anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign of WWI. ANZAC is an acronym for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. It’s written as ANZAC, not Anzac.

Each year on the 25th of April we reflect on all Defence Force personnel, past and present, and the sacrifices they’ve made. It is a solemn day, treat it as such.

ANZAC Day is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during WWI.

Traditionally, Rosemary is worn on ANZAC Day. Rosemary is found growing wild on the Gallipoli peninsula. That’s why it’s significant.

The RED Poppy symbolises peace, death and sleep of the fallen servicemen/woman. While the PURPLE Poppy represents remembrance of the animal victims of war. The ORANGE Poppy represents the acknowledgement of the Service families, and also acknowledges the families’ loss due to veteran suicide. The WHITE Poppy worn between 1918 – 1939 symbolises the wearers’ commitment to peace. Learn the difference!

We commemorate ANZAC Day, not celebrate it. It’s not a bloody party.

At dawn on the 25th of April 1915, soldiers rowed ashore in boats called ‘lighters’ during the Gallipoli landings, under fire and without outboards motors.

It’s a bugle, not a trumpet. The Last Post is sounded, not played. It’s not a dance tune.

Not every serviceman/woman were ‘soldiers’. Some were Sailors and Airmen. Please take the time to ascertain what Service they served in, and use the correct terminology. It means a hell of a lot to us!!

They’re medals, not badges. They’re citations, not pins. Please learn the difference.

Medal recipients wear their medals on the left side of their chest covering their heart; family members/descendants wear the medals on the right side of their chest.

No, I am not wearing my father’s or grandfather’s medals, they are mine. I earned them during my Service.

Medals, ribbons and Unit Citations are EARNED, not WON. It’s not a chook raffle. They are awarded to the recipient, not given to them.

Yes, I am allowed to wear my ‘Return From Active Service’ badge on any bloody day of the year that I choose to wear it. Get over it. And no, it’s not a bloody Medal.

Australian and New Zealand soldiers did not retreat from Gallipoli, they withdrew.

It really doesn’t matter which side you wear your Poppy on, as long as it’s worn with pride. Traditionally, men on the left breast and women on the right breast.

Please, don’t try to draw comparisons between sports players and war veterans. I’ve never seen a sports player perform acts of heroism whilst under fire, to protect their fellow Service personnel, flag and Country.

ANZAC Day isn’t a day to go and watch, or play sport. Show some bloody respect to the brave men and women in uniform, past and present, who fought for the blanket of freedom that you currently sleep under.

Having a few drinks and playing ‘2 up’ is an ANZAC Day tradition. Getting shit faced, picking fights and acting like a bloody yobbo isn’t.

‘Lest We Forget’ isn’t a throwaway line, it actually has meaning: it’s an expression of remembrance, par excellence. It has dignified origins, a rich history. Don’t misuse or disrespect it.

The ‘Ode’ comes from the poem “For the Fallen”, written by Laurence Binyon. The verse, which is commonly known as ‘The Ode Of Remembrance’, is as follows:

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”

Lest We Forget

Here endeth the lesson.

And here for a second viewing (first posted in 2017) is ANZAC art from Ian Coate. It’s a strong complement to the message above: honour the fallen, not only on this day, but in life as well.

They fought to save our freedoms. Don’t take those freedoms for granted.

I posted about the Handsome Her cafe back in 2017.

Espresso with a danish. Would you like an extended diatribe on the evils of the patriarchy with that?

Handsome Her was street-level commercial feminism. If you’re a man, you pay more.

Handsome Her gets the heave-ho in a few days. It is – inconceivable! – the soon to be deceased example of a seriously flawed business plan.

A vegan feminist cafe in Australia that imposed an 18 per cent “gender surcharge” on men and gave women priority seating has closed down.

To be honest, I didn’t think it would last six months, let alone a year and a half. Brunswick must have a sizeable male masochist community.

The Handsome Her cafe, which only opened a few years ago and was located in inner city Melbourne, described itself as “by women, for women”.

And whatever cucks felt the need to demonstrate their feminist cred.

At the time, the cafe’s management claimed the attention left them “jam-packed with customers showing their support”.

I could be wrong – I have been before, at least once – but I’m translating ‘customers’ here as ‘mums, sisters and nieces’.

Reviews of HH on Trip Advisor are mostly negative. But this one stands out.

I identify as a woman but they made me pay more because i ‘look like a man’. Absolutely disgusting behaviour. Sexism against anyone is bad.

I thought us male chauvinist pigs had the monopoly on judging by appearances!

 

Via Breitbart: words of wisdom from the founder of Home Depot, Bernie Marcus.

The reality is that the free market system has created the biggest middle class population in the world. And while some may say socialism is well-intentioned the fact is it robs people of their independence their dignity and their finances leading to government dependence suppression of ideas and lower standards of living for those under its thumb.

Now THAT’S my idea of ‘woke’. Mr Marcus gets it. And he gets it because he’s lived it.

As I’ve said myself on one or two occasions:
So many people down on capitalism. So few moving to North Korea.

Right in the middle of Easter this year comes a certain failed artist’s birthday.

Note the reversed middle finger salutes!

Among the freebies available from REVonDEMAND is the story of GI Richard Marowitz. His unit liberated Dachau in 1945. The next day:

Marowitz and other soldiers drove to Munich to investigate a tip about a house that Hitler had owned. In a bedroom, Marowitz stood on a chair to search a high shelf in a closet and found a silk black top hat embossed inside with gold letters, “A.H.”

…”I pictured Hitler’s head in that hat as I stomped on it,” Marowitz later recalled.

And for those who haven’t seen it before, my own contribution to the Hitler As Internet Clown industry.

While Frank The Boss is busy kissing feet, a few men on the team have been demonstrating more worthy qualities.

Top of the list without question is Father Jean-Marc Fournier. As Notre Dame burned, Father Jean ran in to rescue the Crown of Thorns.

The linked article also notes that Fournier ran into the Bataclan on that horror night in November 2015, when Islamic terrorists were gunning down a concert audience. Comforting the wounded may seem a trivial thing. But when you’re down and wounded, and wondering whether you’ll live to see another day, I dare say you gain a different perspective.

Sydney’s Catholic archbishop Anthony Fisher stepped into harm’s way with less immediate threat to his well-being. Daring to suggest however that the Notre Dame fire and other attacks on churches indicates that ‘we are, in some ways, under siege‘, may put him in the sights of the peace-love-diversity faction.

And the comments of Cardinal Robert Sarah have probably earnt him a stretch in Vatican re-education camp, too.

Sarah, head of the Vatican liturgy office, minced no words in his denunciation of the prevailing viewpoint among liberal Catholics, which states that the faithful betray Christ by wanting stricter immigration policies, especially from Islamic countries. Liberal Catholics often speak of migration in romantic terms, but Sarah notes there is nothing romantic about people leaving their cultures and homes behind, saying they would best be helped in their culture of origin.

“All migrants who arrive in Europe are penniless, without work, without dignity. … This is what the Church wants?” he said. “The Church can not cooperate with this new form of slavery that has become mass migration. If the West continues in this fatal way, there is a great risk that, due to a lack of birth, it will disappear, invaded by foreigners, just as Rome has been invaded by barbarians.”

That article is two weeks old. I’m surprised Cardinal Sarah hasn’t already been accused of collusion with Donald Trump.

Back in 2014 I posted about that legendary tv series Civilisation, written and presented by Kenneth Clark.

I could have said ‘reviewing’ instead, but ‘revisiting’ seems more appropriate. 45 years after it was first broadcast, watching this series feels like a travelogue from another planet.

But there are moments too when Clark could be talking about the right here and now.

It’s drawn a scattering of views over the last six months, but in the last two days the count has risen to around twenty. (For this blog, believe it or not, that’s a lot.)

There is of course, good reason to be thinking about Ken’s legendary show right now.

“What is civilisation? I don’t know. I can’t define it in abstract terms, yet. But I think I can recognise it when I see it.” Turning to Notre Dame, Clarke added: “And I’m looking at it now.” pic.twitter.com/uMt9PvHD57

— Charlie Peters (@CDP1882) April 15, 2019

And I cannot refrain from repeating his most ominous line.

People sometimes tell me that they prefer barbarism to civilisation. l doubt if they’ve given it a long enough trial.

Opportunity has come knocking.

Want to experience the contemporary history of independent film seen through close to 20 years of Rev? It’s right here – with many titles exclusive internationally to this site. All have screened in the Rev program at some point from year 1 and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Behold the cinematic opportunity shop that is REVonDemand!!!

As a Revaholic from the first season I find REVonDemand is a great way to catch up with movies I saw way back when. It’s a second chance to catch the movies I didn’t see at the festival too.

Here’s my Easter weekend selections!

Rent or buy. There’s a few free to view selections in there too.

And I didn’t go blind.

Bigger shock than finding out about Santa Claus.

Australia! Where the wildlife that isn’t venomous is big enough to eat your kids.

Courtesy of Evans Head Sports and Marine.

That’s a 3m long flathead, just in case you were wondering.