God, Please Don’t Strike Our Military Purple Always has been personal pride of warriors wearing military threadConfident and firm stride, be it off duty or on parade being ledSpic and span, and ever so proud, the cloth has always been wornLong, long...
One regular ritual in the army is the roll call to ensure all are accounted for. Such was the case in winter darkness at Puckapunyal when troops roused by whistle blasts, assembled on parade mid much stamping of boots, were required to answer their names when called...
In early 1916, the 51ST Battalion, AIF was raised in Egypt. Its original members being Gallipoli veterans and recent reinforcements from Australia. Today it is an integrated unit comprising ARA and Reservists with the role of conducting reconnaissance and...
Oh, how old soldiers remember past days with bayonet drill The shrieking orders; “on guard, thrust, parry, feint”“Go for the throat or stomach for an easy kill”“Kick, gouge; bite; no Kingsbury rules, cos enemy ain’t Saints” On and on it went, where flashing glinting...
No matter when or where, an invitation for a reunion of warriors creates magic warmth which spreads quickly and reaches out far and wide. It is a time when the night before such an event, young veterans are already mingling at the...
War can never be divorced from the terrible misery it brings, not only to combatants but their loved ones as well in far distant places, always wondering, praying and waiting. An address to Saint Mary’s College - Anzac 2020 WW1 was certainly such an example when...
I am of the view that our troops returning home from active service find it a huge challenge to adjust as they pursue their dreams from countless, restless and seemingly endless periods in hostile surrounds. For many, such visions would become reality and for some,...
It is 35 years since the last major dam was built, yet our population has been increasing at an alarming rate since that time. Despite a history of droughts and flooding rain, our blinkered politicians are most reluctant to spend money on major water...
When the shearing sheds are silent, and the stock camps fallen quiet, When the gidgee coals no longer glow across the outback night, And the bush is forced to hang a sign, 'gone broke and won't be back', And spirits fear to find a way beyond the beaten track. When...
