Patriot Realm

While people around the world call for changes in names of sporting teams, ban words and promote slogans like “ Black Lives Matter “ I have to wonder when they will turn their nasty attention to words that were used with innocent affection and had no ill intent.

As a proud and Patriotic Citizen of Australia, I believe there are many here today who owe their lives to the heroic deeds of “  The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels. “

If some leftist comes after that name, then they had better be ready for a fight.

Back in the earlier days of this blog, I published an incredibly interesting article about the life of one man in Papua New Guinea during the Second World War. It was a transcript of a story he told in relation to his experience during his forced flight from the war ravaged region. I was reminded of it yesterday when I was thinking about the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels and considered whether this term of incredible affection would one day be targeted as " Racist. " 

To those of you have never heard of these saviours of so many, here is a quick rundown. 

Back in 1942, their only interaction with outsiders was via the occasional visit from Australian Government Patrol Officers. ( at that time, Papua was a territory of Australia.)

Their lives were led in isolation until, one day, back in 1942, the horror of war descended like a plague on their hitherto unhindered lives lived in ignorance of the real nature of the outside world.

Despite the intrusion into their lives, they worked as bearers and carried supplies and carried the wounded through the jungles of Papua New Guinea as we know it today.   While they were not treated well in this time of War, their role in the famous Kokoda Trail Campaign can never be understated.  

Following the fall of Singapore, Australia was under the very real threat of invasion from Japan. We need only revist the bombing of Darwin to consider how close we came to being over run.

Japan was indeed planning such an invasion but postponed it, deciding instead that it would cut off the supply lines to Australia. In order to do this, they would need to prevent supplies from America reaching the region and the most efficient way to achieve their goal was to capture the capital, Port Moresby.

North of Port Moresby, roads were little more than tracks. The only way to cross the mountain range, known as the Owen Stanley Range, that separated the south from the north, was a 100 km track. Central to this track was the village of Kokoda where there was a strategically important airfield.

The objective was to secure the airfield before the Japanese.

The Australian forces on the track relied on airdrops of supplies, but the PNG Native carrier force remained an essential part of the plan, moving supplies forward from the drop zones under dreadful conditions.

On their return, they would carry back the wounded with tremendous care:

These men became known as the "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels" 

Here is an amazing tribute to those “ Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels “ that I found.

'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels'

Many a mother in Australia
when the busy day is done
Sends a prayer to the Almighty
for the keeping of her son
Asking that an angel guide him
and bring him safely back
Now we see those prayers are answered
on the Owen Stanley Track

For they haven't any halos
only holes slashed in their ears
And their faces worked by tattoos
with scratch pins in their hair
Bringing back the badly wounded
just as steady as a horse
Using leaves to keep the rain off
and as gentle as a nurse

Slow and careful in the bad places
on the awful mountain track
The look upon their faces
would make you think Christ was black
Not a move to hurt the wounded
as they treat him like a saint
It's a picture worth recording
that an artist's yet to paint

Many a lad will see his mother
and husbands see their wives
Just because the fuzzy wuzzy
carried them to save their lives
From mortar bombs and machine gun fire
or chance surprise attacks
To the safety and the care of doctors
at the bottom of the track

May the mothers of Australia
when they offer up a prayer
Mention those impromptu angels
with their fuzzy wuzzy hair.

Sapper Bert Beros

NX6925, 7th Australian Division, Royal Australian Engineers

Changing a name insults the person or group being honoured. Eradicating history doesn’t change it.

Meanwhile, long may we honour the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels. Fortunately, the Black Lives Matter and The Voice supporters won’t target these words as offensive, because the tribesmen of Papua New Guinea don’t vote in their electorates.

Have a think about that.