Retired infantry officer. Conservative by nature and politics; Happily married and father and grandfather of eight. Loves V8 powered Range Rovers, Golden Retrievers, good books and technology and think there should be open season on Greenies.
Born in the mid forties and overdue for servicing but most parts still work.
AFTER eight weeks of hearings, at a cost of more than $1 million, that have exposed the most painful and private secrets of Private Jake Kovco’s life, the inquest into his death yesterday vindicated the 2006 military inquiry verdict that he died while”skylarking”.
The military inquest sorted out all the problems associated with Kovco’s repatriation to Australia and the ADF have put in place measures to ensure it performs better should a similar incidence happen again. Although there would not have been any experience base left after more than thirty years without fatalities the ADF should have foreseen and been prepared for the obvious.
In all my time in the army I never came across an original problem. Somewhere in the files there was always a paper or SOP laying down procedure and no doubt with over 500 bodies repatriated from Vietnam a similar answer would have existed.
The lessons learned, or rather relearned, have already been turned into procedure so all this latest inquest has done is to bring into the open things that should’ve been left unsaid. The widow does not need to have her husbands imperfections underlined and nor does the nation need to know he was somewhat cavalier with weapons.
Lots of soldiers die in a war zone and not all of them from enemy action and often enough, in our long military history, soldiers have died by their own hand; either deliberately or accidentally. Drawn out public inquests, seemingly hunting down witches, prove little once second parties have been eliminated.
Mrs Kovko needs to get on with her life remembering the best of her husband and forgetting the painful and private secrets raised as people sought a darker side to what already was a tragedy.
We need to let the poor man rest in peace and to let his wife and kids live on in peace.
AUSTRALIA’S states and territories have begun exploring the use of
digital vehicle registration tags, using technology similar to electronic toll collection systems.
A spokeswoman for the transport and traffic authority, Austroads, confirmed that a multi-state licencing and registration taskforce had begun exploring the use of radio-frequency identity (RFID) tags to improve vehicle identification and reduce crime.
I was tail-ended once and the guy just got out and walked while I was busy comforting wive and kids. He wasn’t insured or registered and as I’m sure this has happened to a lot of readers this move by the transport authorities can only be seen as a positive one.
And here’s a stat to comfort those more concerned with human rights and privacy than practicalities.
NSW Police last year detected nearly 38,000 unregistered vehicles!
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The man screaming abuse at the taciturn policeman is a Cabinet Minister in the Rudd Government – says it all really.
Pic lifted from Tim Blair’s
blog
The saga of my old Golden Retriever continues as she fights the Vet’s needle. Last week the vet said she had a neurological bleed or tumor and to give her these tablets. If she survives three days all OK, if not I’ll have to put her to sleep…..that will be $88.00 thank you.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday she sat and made all the noises of a dying dog. panting, incontinent and generally stressing everyone out. Friday night I saw no hope and resolved to visit the executioner on Saturday morning. Saturday morning, while I was reading the Australian and procrastinating about the vet visit she leapt to her feet,well struggled actually, and tried to walk to the bathroom (the grass out the back). Later that day and on Sunday, as kids and neighbours came to say good bye she got up and greeted each and everyone. Sunday she ate and walked to the water bowl and today she is out the back checking out lizards and making sure no cats got in while she was indisposed.
She’s not a hundred percent yet but no way can I let the Vet needle her. She has won a reprieve and I hope we can now fatten her up(didn’t eat for five days) and enjoy her company for another month or two or even a year….or two
Hope springs eternal in the human breast.
THE planned cull of kangaroos on defence land in Canberra has been
put on hold after the department asked the ACT Government to approve a trial of moving them.
Read ‘The Department has been told by the government, who have been told by the Left/Greens, to ask the ACT government to approve a trial of moving them…or anything that would take it of the front pages. The debacle over the Government supporting anti-whaling terrorists is bad enough but to have the animal activists preaching hypocracy is worse
ACT Animal Liberation president
Mary Hayes and the
ACT Greens are against the cull for the usual uneducated reasons. Bob Green says his usual anti-anything mantra and about 70 activists have protested.
This small group of second rate players and unwashed activists have dictated terms to a government and one of it’s largest departments.
Two weeks ago the
Rudd government/Defence were happy for the cull to go ahead and now they’re not. The Greens have held sway and a solution has been turned into a crime. Defence have been forced to back down and announced today;
….it remained interested in researching options other than a cull, particularly given public opposition to that plan.
“Approval has therefore been requested from the ACT Government to undertake a scientific trial of kangaroo management techniques, including translocation,” defence said.
“Pending the ACT Government’s response to the defence proposal, the cull of kangaroos … will be placed on hold.”
We cull millions every year but a the thought of culling a few hundred in the ACT force the government to back down.
Who’s running the country again?
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THE sky above New South Wales is to be given heritage status by the
National Trust.
The National Trust of NSW is set to classify both the day and night sky above the state as worthy of preservation.
National Trust NSW president Zeny Edwards said the sky viewed from NSW had extraordinary aesthetic, historic, social and scientific significance for all Australians.
The move was timely with Earth Hour on Saturday, when switching off city lights would allow the sky to be seen clearly, he said.
What on earth is she on?
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Went for an angiogram last Wednesday. The Doctor had trouble finding the femerol artery and pushed into an non-anesthetized area….arched back..nausea…lowering blood pressure…male equivalent of screaming..followed by appropriate but rude words to Doctor. The Doctor found the spot and then disappeared leaving the nurses and female radiographer to apologise and calm me down.
Was dispatched home in a yellow cab – the driver and the shockies were about the same age. Got home and sulked. Three days later blood had tracked to my manhood and everything was black which is not a good look for a white anglo chap. Went to emergency on Easter Sunday to be told lots of words which summarized as go home and stop acting like a girl. The pain will go in two weeks and the bruising in four.
Sitting out the back by the pool (still sulking) and Holly, my faithful golden retriever of 15 years walks towards me, drops her head into a tilt and walks into the ground. The vet says neurological bleed or tumor, give her these tablets. If she survives three days all OK, if not I’ll have to put her to sleep…..that will be $88.00 thank you.
Wake at 4.00 am (damn! they are sore) make a coffee and sit outside talking and stroking old retriever. Reminded her of how she helped us bring up five kids.
Reminded her how she used to walk the kids to the bus and one day said bus ran over her. She limped home like a mongrel dog and licked herself better. Next week she resumed escort duties and never got caught again.
She always was a timid soul. When she was about five she actually barked at a possum and the whole family went out and congratulated her. She’s a gentle soul and loved by everyone she meets and she will be sorely missed.
Dogs guarding house. Holly is on the left
Told her that Kevin Rudd was considering setting up a committee to look into aging retrievers and their problems. As sick as she is she managed to roll her eyes.
Take it easy old girl and go well.
Angela Davis, ex Black Panther and rabid communist has been invited to speak at the West Australia’s Harmony Week run by the
Office of Multicultural Interests
There are many articles on Angela that brush over her time on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list and trial where all charges were dropped
but this one doesn’t
In 1970 Davis was implicated by more than 20 witnesses in a plot to free her imprisoned lover, fellow Black Panther George Jackson, by hijacking a Marin County, California courtroom and taking hostage the judge, the prosecuting assistant district attorney, and two jurors. In an ensuing gun battle outside the court building, Judge Harold Haley’s head was blown off by a sawed-off shotgun owned by Ms. Davis. To avoid arrest for her alleged complicity in the plot, Ms. Davis fled California, using aliases and changing her appearance to avoid detection.
Two months later Davis was arrested by the FBI in New York City. At her 1972 trial, Davis presented her version of where she had been and what she had been doing at the time of the shootout. Because she was acting as her own attorney, she could not be cross-examined. She presented a number of alibi witnesses, almost all Communist friends, who testified that she had been with them in Los Angeles playing Scrabble at the time of the Marin slaughter. Prosecution witnesses who placed her in Marin were dismissed by Davis and her fellow attorneys as being unable to accurately identify blacks — because they were white.
What is it with Multiculturists that they pay this woman big money to speak? Charges may have been dropped but there are enough questions left to bar her entry to Australia.
The hide of the bastard! He may be innocent although that was never fully tested in a court; the AFP may have handled the case less than perfectly but he still has a very iffy family who like to blow up innocents and from my point of view that is sufficient reason to bar him from entry into Australia.
In an exclusive interview from India, Dr Haneef said the inquiry should be given powers to ensure all documents are released, and that witnesses, including Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty and former immigration minister Kevin Andrews – as well as investigators, prosecutors and bureaucrats – are compelled to give evidence and face cross-examination.
Well he would say that wouldn’t he? This is now going to be about compensation as he has a chance of sitting on easy money for the rest of his life.
Maurice Blackburn partner Rod Hodgson said he believed Dr Haneef had a strong claim for compensation. “He has had his reputation trashed, his career stalled, his liberty taken away, his life in Australia interrupted, his earnings reduced and his life turned upside down.
“Those are all wrongs absolutely deserving of compensation.”
There’s still too many questions about Haneef for us to let him dictate the terms of enquiry.
I had written on the Sydney before as
my father served on her and only lived to tell the tale (and father me. I might add) due to sickness. The post covers his last two weeks on the Sydney before the Sydney sailed to it’s final battle and he went off to hospital.
With a family connection to the ship I have followed the stories about her and the attempts to find her resting place and the grave of 645 Aussie matelots with an avid interest and am so pleased that those NOK who still live will at long last know where their men folk rest.
The Finding Sydney website is
here and
here is a good summary of the action and aftermath.
The Courier Mail cover
the story as well as most. It has less “Mr Rudd said” quotes than some of the others. I would have rather the announcement was mad by a spokesman of the organization that did all the hard work.
UPDATE:
Link to the
Finding Sydney website with an account of the search and sonar pics. Nary a mention of a press hungry politician – just the facts.
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