Just referring to some of the recent posts, it is difficult to understand why anyone would want to denigrate a man who has earned the OAM, or the organisation that delivered the needed services.

Surely we should all be mature and gracious enough to set politics or petty jealousies aside and applaud the the man and his organisation for the award.

excerpt from
"MEDAL (OAM) OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

Mr Tony MILLER, Woolgoolga NSW 2456
For service to the community through the provision of support services for separated families.
Founder, Dads in Distress, 2000; provides assistance and advice to distressed males who have experienced a breakdown of their marriage/relationship; provides assistance in a manner that enables them to come to terms with the breakdown and to navigate the legal
system in a way that they might not have otherwise been able to do so.
Also established Mums in Distress, 2006; assists women in similar situations."

Vanna, I'm beginning to think it doesn't matter what anybody says, you are utterly dedicated to slagging off at anybody who has anything to do with universities.

From a communication point of view, this makes it very difficult for anybody to hear the important parts of your message. For example, it seems some of us didn't know Tony Miller's story and now we do because you told us.

But we have to wade through the torrent of academic bashing to get to it.

There are feminists in academia, along with a whole lot of other people with a wide range of philosophies. Personally, although I have taught units on women's issues, I don't feel the need to speak badly of men who feel cast adrift after marriage breakdowns, and I don't feel the need to bash men for being men. I'm also the mother of sons and have seen them go through relationship upheavals.

I'm mildly irritated by having to negotiate your unrelenting attacks on academics, of whom I am one, and felt the wish to speak up in self defense.

There are so many reasons to criticise universities, why get stuck on one?

C J Morgan,
Why don’t you send an email to the author and ask him your questions. However, due to the fact that you have abused him so much in various posts, I’m not surprised if he didn’t bother to answer.

Briar rose,

Certainly there are many reasons to criticise universities, as they are becoming of less use to anyone in time.

There has been increased funding going to universities, and Australia’s trade deficit has grown proportionally.

Some good increased funding has done, and it does appear that most of the money going to universities has mostly been of benefit to the academic staff.

Universities also like to run lots of social science courses, because they are cheap to run, and there would be more social scientist per square mile in a university than anywhere else in Australia.

The fact that not one person from an Australian university made any public statement when someone living in a car received the OOA is testimonony to the usefulness of those social science courses.

I don't think there is anything of any reliability now from an Australian university.

Did anyone else watch ABC's Catalyst last night.

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/fatherhood/

Research has shown that father's are important in a child's life in particular in regard to play. Mothers and fathers are both important in different ways.

In view of that research it really hits home the effects of divorce on younger children.

Pelican,
It is interesting that, in these times, fathers now have to justify their existance, and there have to be TV programs to show their importance.

I wonder how that developed.

I grew up with a loving dad and mum. I had a wonderful childhood. I experienced difficult moments of course but overall it was wonderful.

I am now a dad and share the responsibility of raising my children with my wife whom I treasure. I know the importance of the balance that my wife and I bring to each other in the awesome but challenging task of loving and equipping our children.

From my experiences as a child and as a dad, I firmly believe that children are far better off with a full time mum and dad.