Australia Day knighthoods

Australians are lucky; we have three national days.

First, there is the quietest and most unofficial national day: Boxing Day, the day after Christmas Day, it is the one day in the year when all Australians - regardless of their background - celebrate being Australians by doing all the things that define our nationality. It is also our unofficial Family Day; even for divorced families.

Then there is ANZAC Day, a day for solemn rememberance of those suffered and died, for our sakes, in war and in defence of the country. It is a day of mixed sadness and celebration for all Australians ...... and despite all the efforts of political and business interests to hijack the day for their own purposes and to enforce official control, it is a day that remains firmly in the hands of ordinary people and local communities (such was the effect on local communities of heavy Australian and New Zealander casualties in The Great War nine decades ago). In keeping with traditional Australian tolerance and a fair go, even former enemy who have migrated to Australia take part too .... and why not?.

And then there is the official national day, 26th January, Australia Day, which commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet from England in 1788, a fleet made up of English "free settlers", military guards and "convicts" (petty law-breakers, English radicals, Irish and Scottish patriots and anyone else who annoyed the English aristocracy); their sudden arrival had a dramatic effect on Aboriginal Australians.

The government always issues an Honours List on Australia Day. It is the list of awards of the Order of Australia, and other awards, to those wonderful people who have done good work, often voluntary work, for their local community or for their nation or for humanity in general.

Sadly, along with all these well-deserved awards come outrageously undeserved awards to political and business buddy-pals - and everyone wonders why any scoundrel should get a prestigious award just for doing their grossly over-paid job or because they are in a mutual backscratching clique.

New Knighthoods were abolished in Australia a generation ago - but there are still old people wandering around with "Sir" or "Dame" stuck in front of their names.

I suggest we resurrect Knighthoods for really outstanding Australian ..... and here are my suggestions for 2007:

1. Terry Hicks. Father of Guantanamo Bay prisoner, David Hicks. No matter what his son did or did not do, Terry Hicks has shown himself a true knight - by his courage, his tenacity, his righteousness, his sense of duty and honour.
Terry Hicks has upheld the finest of Australian values in the face of all the nasty, dishonourable anti-Australia stunts by that miserable excuse for a prime minister and his gang of toadies.

2. Andrew Willkie and Lance Collins - who spoke honestly at a time when honesty was despised; who were patriotic at a time when Australia's political bosses were manifestly not so; who were professional in their conduct when others preferred to be crawlers and yes-men.

So ARISE ..... SIR TERRY, SIR ANDREW AND SIR LANCE.

To balance these new knighthoods, lets's have .... say, Knavehoods or Dingo-Of-The-Year(=douche-bag).

I reckon the clear winners of 2007 Knavehoods have to be the Department of Defence officials who tried to cheat an injured Special Air Sevice Regiment soldier, Bill Kennedy, out of his entitlements by using rules that didn't exist!!! Anywhere else in Australia, you would go to jail for that sort of fraud against a fellow citizen!!!
No doubt these knaves are the same sort who tried to cheat Mrs Kylie Russell, the widow of SAS Sergeant Andrew Russell who was killed whilst On Active Service in Afghanistan. As well as Knavehoods for these boofheads, let's award them the Osama Bin Laden Helpers medal too.

Links:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21068926-5006789,00.html

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=778ContentID=18857