Month: December 2007

Chopper crash Digger’s remains found

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A TEAM has found the remains of Australian soldier Lance Corporal John Gillespie, who died in a helicopter crash during the Vietnam war in 1971.

Jim Bourke of the the group Operations Aussies Home, said the remains were dug up at a crash site.

Gillespie died on April 17, 1971, in the crash of a RAAF Iroquois helicopter in the Long Hai hills of Phuoc Tuy province.

From the Australian War Memorial

Lance Corporal John Francis GILLESPIE , 24, of Carnegie, Vic., was serving as a helicopter medic with 8 Field Ambulance. On 17 April 1971, during a “dustoff” (medical evacuation) operation in the Long Hai hills in Phuoc Tuy province, Gillespie’s helicopter was hit by enemy ground fire and crashed. His body could not be recovered from the burning wreckage.

The helicopter burned on impact and it was believed at the time that all human remains had been consumed in the blaze.

Mr Bourke said the Vietnamese government had agreed with the assessment of the Australian forensic experts that the remains were those of Gillespie.

The remains could be returned to Australia as early as next week, he said.

Earlier this year, Mr Bourke’s group found the remains of two other Australian soldiers killed in Vietnam in 1965.

The discovery of Gillespie’s remains leave just three other Australians missing in action from the Vietnam conflict.

They are;

Private David John Elkington FISHER , 23, was a national serviceman of Balgowlah Heights, NSW. He served with 3 Squadron, SAS. On 27 September 1969 , Fisher was a member of an SAS patrol which had contacts with parties of Viet Cong in south-eastern Long Khanh province, about 30 kilometres northeast of the 1st Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat. During a “hot extraction” by helicopter Fisher fell about 30 metres into dense jungle from a rope attached to the helicopter. He was believed killed but searches for six days failed to recover his body.

And two RAAF Officers lost while flying a mission in a Canberra Bomber

Pilot Officer Robert Charles CARVER, 24, of Toowoomba, Qld, and Flying Officer Michael Patrick John HERBERT, 24, of Glenelg, SA, both of No. 2 Squadron, RAAF, were both career air force officers. On 3 November 1970 they were believed killed when their Canberra bomber disappeared while flying a night bombing mission in the northern 1 Corps region of South Vietnam. An extensive aerial search of the area failed to find any trace of the aircraft or crew and was called off after three days.

Jim Bourke and crew need some recognition for what they have accomplished to date. I trust it is in hand

Via 1735099

Defence

Swan sizes up threats to economy

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It’s him!

Sure, there are lot’s of other words in the article but in essence the only change to the economy is the man running it. There are other potential factors of course; a wage break out as unions hit their stride and get pay-back from Rudd; a slowing down of the economy as business slows when AWAs are scrapped, a slow down and slump in employment when Unfair Dismissal laws are reversed and some costs associated with Kyoto but by and large, Swans the man.

The ALP have been handed a blinder of an economy, as different from the 96 billion hole they handed over to the Libs last time the Government changed hands, so it’s up to them to maintain the upward curves.

Will they?

Politics

We’re all lefties now

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WHAT do left-wing ministers do in a government led by an economic conservative? Simple: they take some of the key jobs and join the club. This is Mike Steketee’s take on Rudd’s cabinet as he uses lots of calming words to say Left is cool but Left is Left, nothing is simple and the proof of the pudding is a long way down the track.

In the first Rudd cabinet, nine of the 20 ministers come from the Left: Julia Gillard, Chris Evans, John Faulkner, Jenny Macklin, Lindsay Tanner, Anthony Albanese, Kim Carr, Penny Wong and Martin Ferguson. That compares with one left-winger in the first Hawke cabinet in 1983, Stewart West.

And Gillard is benign;

Sure, Gillard comes from the Victorian Socialist Left – as Howard government ministers kept reminding us during the election campaign – and Tanner used to wage war against Labor’s Right as the left-wing secretary of the Federated Clerks Union.

But this history is about as relevant now as the Cold War is to international relations.

Is it?

If I’m a conservative now and have been since the early 60s why does Steketee presume someone who has beaten the drum for the left for decades will suddenly join the conservative club?

Doesn’t compute…..keep an eye on ’em.

Politics

Gillard blames Howard for skills drop

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EDUCATION Minister Julia Gillard has blamed the Howard government for a decline in the literacy and numeracy standards of Australian students.

Fair enough. Her team won the election and thus have sledging rights but I do think it’s a bit simplistic. The Federal Government’s main input into education is funding the states who then apply the funding as they see fit. Or, rather, as the Teachers Union see fit. This left wing union and the state Labour Government’s have more say in class room teaching than the Federal Government and until Julia speaks of setting the agenda herself then there will be no change.

To be quiet honest, even if she does set the agenda herself I’m willing to bet there will still be no change.

True, Howard tried to influence the school system, the suggested History curriculum comes to mind, but he didn’t get far.

It will be interesting to see where the ALP go on education. “Lap Tops for everyone, lunches for free” type of policy does need some fleshing out.

Politics

Kyoto

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The pilgrims at Bali, followers of the Church of the Latter Day Alarmists have applauded Chief Clerk Rudd for his ratification of Kyoto – well they would, wouldn’t they? Just like at an extreme right wing religious movement. Praise the Lord – Hallelujah….Praise Kyota – hallelujah – all the same really.

I’m still of the opinion that Global Warming, as believed by many, has many fathers and for us to be so presumptuous as to think that human input causes it all defies rationale. It is admirable that we work at better management of the ecology but I would like to see more engineers being quoted than opinionated scientists that have been baptised into the church. There are many who aren’t followers and they need to be heeded as well.

Personally I think the Earth and it’s relative variable position to the Sun, have more to do with the problem than us mere humans. After an ice-age we can expect the Earth to warm up and maybe soon, we can expect the Earth to start to cool down as it heads towards another Ice Age.

I don’t know if that’s the case and neither do the converted scientists. I can’t prove my case and they can’ prove I’m wrong. I doubt any of us know enough; haven’t lived here long enough to know of the greater cycles, greater than summer or winter, that effect our weather patterns.

So, based on what I describe as an imprecise science,we have committed to a treaty that will cost us money. Billions are already being bandied around as being payable fines for not meeting targets. Would it be worth considering that we would be better advised spending these billions on research and development or simply planting trees to balance nature? And where does the money go – who controls it? – does someone in Europe or the UN get to play with our money addressing the problem their way?

We need new technology not old promises.

10,000 pilgrims at Bali from a multitude of nations all with their own agendas, all looking for an advantage for themselves, all of this overseen by the UN. This is not a formula for success – It is nothing more than a religious gathering and at best will only produce another Gospel – call it Revelations II; that once again reveals the Original True Faith plus Secrets of Life and Success, and how to survive looming the War of Armageddon Global Warming

Climate Change

VCs stolen

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Eleven Kiwi Victoria Crosses were amongst medals stolen from a Museum in NZ
They are going to be very difficult to sell on the market so could well go underground to some collector.

“The fear is there is a very reclusive collector who has had them stolen to order,” Helen Clark told One News’ Breakfast program.

“If that’s the case, they won’t show up on the market”.

Not good, stealing history.

Defence

Ho, Ho, Bloody Ho

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On Sunday middle-child becomes a gym nazi and forces my wife and I to undertake a workout in the pool and on various forms of torture apparatus that in more peaceful times exist as stools – push-ups on a stool, tricep dips…Please, can I go back into the pool? NO!. I erroneously told her of Army PTIs saying do 20 then at 20 saying ‘one for the Queen, ‘one for the regiment’ etc. I was praying we didn’t get down to ‘one for Private Smith”, the Hygiene orderly.

Whilst recovering, old mate O’Reilly phones and through some convoluted conversation, bad reception and the fact that I was suffering the after effects of middle-child administered torture, I ended up volunteering to be Santa to a bunch of Pre-schoolers.

Which explains why I turn up at the Pre-School behind St Mathias at Zillmere on Monday morning dressed like a Coca Cola ad
Santa
.
The teacher said I did great but let’s face it; playing Santa to a bunch of 5 year-olds doesn’t take much talent. Not a lot of critics there

Their utter belief in what I represented took me back to the farm at Pemberton, West Australia where as a young tacker, maybe five myself, I took a walk with my dog Honey through the bush near the farm house. Honey was named for her colour so you can guess the colour of one of her pups we kept and called “Treacle”.

After some time I’m confronted with an apparition of red and white standing in front of me. I was beside myself – Santa had personally come to this small farm in WA to speak to ME and ME only. Not my rotten girly, smartypants and older sisters, but ME.

I took advantage of the situation and plugged for a pedal car and without a touch or irony said I had been a good boy. Santa must already known this otherwise he wouldn’t have taken the time out to visit ME. I would’ve thought though; If Santa talks to Mum or Dad I’m dead but hey, go for the big lie!

What a coupe for a five year-old.

Somewhere there is a picture with me in a pedal car so my lies weren’t detected but the biggest thrill was Santa sounded just like my Mum. True! The bragging rights at school were undeniable – all other kids were impressed that Santa come to see ME and also sounded like my Mother.

This likeness with my Mother was proven at the Town Xmas party in the School Hall that very week when Santa appeared, this time for all the plebs, and sounded just like Mum.

My friends were convinced.

How long this lasted I can’t remember but I feel, when the truth dawned on me; as it does all kids at some time; my crash and burn was louder and hurt more than what other kids suffered. My loss of faith involved my Mum who scammed the hell out of a five year-old naive boy.

The pedal car was cool though, and I eventually forgave my Mum.

I had to, every time it comes up she rolls around laughing as do my smartypants sisters.

What’s your Christmas story?

General Musings

I’m back

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I’ve been in West Australia celebrating my Mother’s 88th birthday and doing the ground work necessary to facilitate her transfer to nursing care. While there, I stayed with my Sister who has minimal interest in computers or politics so had to be polite and spend time with family and not politics – thus my silence on the issue.

Silence over! Some thoughts…

I’m devastated and worried about Australia.

On Costello. I’d go as well. After dragging the country out of the 96 billion abyss the last ALP govt left us in; after bringing in GST and rewriting Australia’s financial disbursement to state governments; after taking unemployment, jobs, interest rates to the best levels for years the electorate kick him and his boss out.

I’d say “get stuffed” as well.

Costello will do well as everyone knows he did an excellent job running the 15th largest economy in the world. With that on page one of his CV he will be snapped up by commercial enterprise and I hope he earns millions.

He will do so with my blessing and the blessing of every reasonable man and women in the country.

Having said all that I’m not sure if he would have made a great PM and I do think we should move on.

Rudd simply doesn’t inspire me and I have trouble slotting him into the “leaders” I have known category. It isn’t his politics, it his demeanor and bureaucratic background. Until I see evidence to the contrary I will refer to him as the Chief Clerk.

The Chief Clerks biggest problem will be controlling the unions and the Left wing. Julia Gillard, to my mind, is dangerous, recognized by the fact that Rudd kept her out of the limelight during the election lest the media pursue her background. If she had fronted the media every day her left wing socialism would have crept through and frightened the voters. Anyone who hails Jim Cairns as a role model aspires to a different Australia than I or 80-90% of Australians wish for.

If you subscribe to theory that Work Choices cost us the election then what you are actually saying is that the ACTU 30 million dollars worth of lies, omissions, half truths and exaggerations cost us the election. Work Choices could have done with some more fine tuning but as they emphasized and aided the demise of the power base of unions they will be repealed for the wrong reasons. Work Choices empowered workers and Business; the ALP’s answer will empower the unions and the workers. Small and Large business, by far the greater employers in the country, are missing from the formula and that never bodes well for the economy.

I go away for a week to West Australia and when I return my country is totally different. I only hope the difference isn’t too costly.

Politics
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