It's the end of another week Downunder and all we have is, as Shirley Bassey sang so well, " history repeating itself. "
The jerry can revolt in Canada has spurred people on throughout the world to gather together and unite and say " enough is enough. "
I have friends and acquaintances travelling to Canberra to join the 2022 equivalent of the Eureka Stockade.
Read more: Flashback Friday - 2020 - fast forward to 2022
'So we marched into the sea and when we got out to about waist level they then machine gunned from behind."
The words of the sole survivor of the horrific massacre of Radji Beach on Banka Island off the coast of Sumatra.
On 16 February 1942, Japanese soldiers machine-gunned 22 Australian World War II Army nurses and killed 60 soldiers and crew members from 2 sunken ships. From the 22 Nurses shot on that day, there was only one sole survivor, Sister Vivian Bullwinkel.
Read more: The Massacre at Rajdi Beach - February 1942 - Lest We Forget
If from this maelstrom I survive, By pen and prose and poetry
I'll keep your sacrifice alive, I spoke to you of legacy
For when this hellish time is through, all those who hauled or charged or carried
Will be regarded heroes too
Read more: We speak in whispers these days yet our voices are triumphant.
Is Australia ripe for the plucking?
Read more: Australia - about to be plucked? Or is it already plucked?
Today marks the normal eve of the start of the 4 day Burt Munro Challenge in the deep south of New Zealand. Motorbike enthusiasts usually congregate to race and gather with fellow enthusiasts to honour the memory of The Worlds Fastest Indian. Also known as Burt Munro.
This year it has been cancelled. Covid strikes again.
So while the event may have been cancelled, I think it is still worth celebrating the amazing man who dared to dream big and dream fast.
Read more: The World's Fastest Indian - brought to a standstill by red tape
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his honours and shunned by his family. Only his ex wife stands by his side. Andrew, or as I still choose to call him, Prince Andrew, is a war hero in my book.
The media, the public and seemingly everyone have abandoned this man because he did something that many men have probably been guilty of: he had dubious mates and had a few bedtime romps with young women.
As a woman, I actually defend him. And I believe that he is a target of a political campaign and the bureaucracy have thrown him under the bus.
Read more: A Prince who fell from grace because of the sea? Or was it about politics?
The British didn’t stand a chance when confronted with a United States of America - and the brave diggers at Gallipoli created a fighting Spirit that will endure forever. Throughout history, we mark special days of unity and courage. We mark things like Australia Day, Thanksgiving, Waitangi Day, ANZAC Day and Armistice Day.
Kiwis and Australians have stood side by side, brother with brother... until it comes down to a cake. Then it is a Tasman Sea pillow fight. Intrigued? Then read on.
Here we are on the doorstep of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Personally, I find them to be lacking in joy, expectation, or anticipation. For some reason I am more concerned about seeing someone keel over from a stroke or myocarditis than falling on the slopes from a bad ski jump.
Hosted in the country that gives " gifts that keep giving " like covid , I wonder if the games will be more opening a Pandora's Box or a very large and unpleasant can of worms.
Read more: I remember..... when the winter Olympics were about soaring like an eagle
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. 2 years ago, I trusted " them. " Today?
No. In fact, I keep asking myself:
What if the coronavirus had spread, but had never been diagnosed or detected? Would life have been any different if the global media and politicians hadn't told us to be scared?
Read more: Do you still trust your government? Trust is so freely given and so easily lost
In 1942, my wife’s Uncle was a metallurgist in Papua New Guinea. At the height of WW2 , he was living in the jungles of one of the hotbeds of the conflict. Unable to serve in the War due to being deaf ( years of working in a goldmine in New Zealand) he served in his own way by doing his bit and carrying on.
I found a transcript of his recollections of the time in Papua New Guinea during the war and I wanted to share it with you. It is typed as he shared it all those years ago. His time in the War in the jungle of Papua New Guinea.
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