another musical dispatch from the front

Another dispatch from the North-West frontier.

Our heroes used to be always men. BIG MEN!

In this-un, Frank delves into those connections made between heroes and mythmaking.

The bedrock of the Australian cultural psyche underwritten by the unquestioned belief in ‘Anzackery”.

In this piece Frank questions the process of ‘hero making’, and the subsequent cutting down. It is a dispassionate account without bias. Erudite and to the point. But on his final analysis we beg to differ.

Frank still cannot accept that the North-West Frontier is a lawless outpost of the more civilized coastal fringe and without occupation during the intervention and an ongoing military presence it may threaten the very fabric of Australian society. As we said to our mate Xi; ‘unless you bring these fringe groups under control, they’ll infect us all with their talk of self-determination and indigenous rights. And before you know what we’ll all be wearing grass skirts and proclaiming ‘a voice’. Worse still the very people committed to protect them the police, may go native and start speaking in language other than the ‘Kings English’.

Valiant men who’d done BRAVE THINGS!

Which cumulatively would put our alliances with the Anglo-sphere at risk and reduce the effectiveness of binding defense contracts and the careers of public services committed to ensuring the wretched status of first Australians.

This is dangerous stuff, and it all began when Kumanji Walker failed to pay his fine. Death is not too much for those who disobey the edict of law, and who are ultimately ungrateful for all we’ve done for them.

Frank writes;

Amici,

Australia has a fascination with heroes and antiheroes.

From a sheep stealer who’d rather drown than be caught to a man in a tin armoured hat to a man with a donkey.

At the behest of PRINCIPLED Politicians!

I well recall when Melbourne newspapers covered Ryan and Walkers’ 19 days on the run. Society was divided. There were those who cheered them on as they evaded capture and those who saw them as murderers to be caught and punished. We also witnessed a manifestation of perennial politically motivated “tough on crime” when Sir Henry Bolte insisted on hanging Ryan

Another aspect of Australian society is the tall poppy syndrome. When working class hero Alan Bond was put on a pedestal for bringing in the America’s Cup it didn’t take long for the press to tear him down when he was exposed as a crook. The very press that had put him there in the first place. A similar fate befell Christopher Skase when he was chased in the streets of Majorca.

Which brings me to our latest fallen hero Ben Roberts-Smith. Talk about an own goal!

You might be wondering what has all this got to do with Yuendumu?

Zach Rolfe’s family were good friends with Ben Roberts-Smith. Zach saw Ben as a mentor and role model. There you have it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXag4TDhTQc

David Bowie’s Heroes