What is the Doctrine of Discovery?
In International Law, it is one of the most hotly disputed rulings ever made.
In 1823, American Justice John Marshall ruled that discovery of territory previously unknown to Europeans gave the discovering nation title to that territory against all other European nations, and this title could be perfected by possession. Needless to say, this did not go down too well with the Native American Indians, and it does not go down well with other Peoples from around the globe today.
Perhaps we should turn to history to understand what might have been behind the quest for conquest.
Read more: Doctrine of Discovery - The Quest for Conquest - by Flysa
The Decline of Australia’s Liberal Party is a case study on the internal divisions and loss of direction plaguing its counterparts elsewhere
The Liberal Party of Australia – a traditional conservative party akin to the Republican Party in the US and the Conservative Party in the UK – is currently in a state of acute crisis, a situation not dissimilar to the instability experienced by most conservative political parties in the West over the past few decades.
Formed in the late 1940s, the Liberal Party, in coalition with the smaller and ultra conservative National Party (representing the agricultural sector) has governed Australia for most of the post-World War II period.
Read more: Why Western conservative parties are heading for populism or disintegration
"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."
As we greet the dawn of a new day, many of us will speak these words. Some of us will stand alone and others will be in the company of patriotic and grateful citizens who have risen to pay tribute on what is one of our most important days of each year.
To attend a Dawn Service is a privilege. Lest We Forget how many perished so that we may do so.
The Last Post would be familiar to all Australians from an early age. It is played at every ANZAC Day ceremony by a bugler in an army uniform and frequently at funerals of soldiers and veterans.
Does the average civilian attendee understand the significance of this quasi musical interlude? Is it an entertainment piece that everyone expects to hear because it is always part of the programme like the hymn “Oh God our Help in Ages Past”?
The Last Post is one of the most ancient tools used by modern British founded armies and has its roots in the days of the Roman Empire when horns were used to play the hymn of the Goddess Diana and as signals to command troops on the battlefield. Even to this day, the French term for what we call Reveille is La Diana.
Ming The Merciless was a nick name given to one of our most outstanding Australian military commanders of WW2.
His name was Lieutenant-General Sir Leslie Morshead. He was the Commanding Officer of the 9th Division of the 2nd AIF, Commander of the garrison of Tobruk during its period under siege from April to December, 1941, the chief Rat of Tobruk one might say, and still in command when the 9th got around the German defences to break the deadlock in the Battle of El Alamein in October, 1942.
He has been rightly described as “The Hero of Tobruk and Alamein”
His greatest achievements were against the German General Erwin Rommel, known as The Desert Fox but Morshead outfoxed him at every throw of the dice.
Read more: Ming the Merciless - a Hero of Tobruk and Alamein
It is the 25th April, and a German man and his wife from Munich are taking a motoring holiday to the South of France. They pass through the northern French city of Amiens. They observe much gaiety among the populace and are wondering what it is all about.
They pass through the city and 15kms down the road they approach a small town. On the outskirts, they pass a cemetery which has a sign “Adelaide Cemetery”.
Says the man, " that is not a French name. What does it mean? "
The 25th of April is a very important day for Australians and New Zealanders. It is called ANZAC Day and stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It is the day that we stand still for a minute's silence at dawn and remember our fallen in times of war.
Throughout our two countries, millions of people will stand in quiet contemplation remembering those in our past who we knew or never got to know. It is about Courage and Patriotism and Unity. Many will march in solidarity for those who are worthy of honour to this day.
It is a day of giving thanks and showing respect for our forbears. It is one of the most important days on our calendar.
Read more: The Face of a Soldier - the Face of Courage - the Face of a Dying Country?
It has been truly said that Australia arrived in Gallipoli as six separate States and returned as a Nation with its own national identity. In achieving this, of the over 50,000 Australians who served at Gallipoli during a period of 260 days, there were 8,159 deaths in total, comprised of 5,482 killed in action, 2,012 deaths from wounds, and 665 deaths from disease.
To the armchair Revisionists, these are merely numbers and not men who gave their lives for their country and are buried in a far-off land.
Read more: The Lead Up to the ANZAC Diggers - the road to ANZAC Cove
More than a hundred years ago, in the fields of the Somme, a whole generation of young men who came from the other side of the world fought and fell
Among them, out of a population of five million souls, 416,000 young Australians answered the call of duty under the banner of the Commonwealth and 295,000 served bravely on the Western Front in the mud and poppies of northern France where they paid a heavy price.
Read more: A tribute to those who gave their today for our tomorrow
What has happened to the relationship between some Women , fortunately, a minority, who seem to have a very bad feeling about all men. They feel they can say anything from calling all men rapists and then wonder why a rather pointed comment comes back in reply.
Or Racists and bigots. Or any other name that flies off their tongues with such hatred.
Read more: Women With Bad Attitudes - 50 years of Life and not a Lesson Learned.
The clandestine activities of our two most famous but unsung units of the Pacific war were the M & Z Units of the Australian Army commonly referred to as Commandos. The lack of knowledge about these units was due to the fact that they were clouded in secrecy by the sheer nature of their existence and The Official Secrets Act (OSA). Their most well-known exploits were the two raids made on shipping in Singapore Harbour. (See also my article named Heroes and Headhunters)
One was an outstanding success. The other was a tragic stuff up.
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