Spare a short moment for a small Irish catholic child, one of thirteen, who was torn from his family, by the government political of the day like, all his siblings, who's father returned from Changi POW camp, quite insane, who over the past fifty years has occasionally been reunited with brothers and sisters but still estranged,WHO NEVER HAD A FAMILY CHRISTMAS, OR PRESENTS FROM FAMILY UNDER A TREE,OR A TRADITIONAL FAMILY CHRISTMAS DINNER and who when he finally left the "CARE" of the government at age 18 had no concept of empathy or love or caring and who joined the army and later the police force because those qualities were not needed.
Yes I miss my Dad, and My Mum and my brother and my sisters and my grandparents but most of all I miss Christmas past, present and future.

i dont know how to/take you chris..you talk..as if a youth/kid/child/yid

[im my mind there i see a 18..3/4 year old]..but as/the 13 th child of a changhi..RETURNEE..who even if only..half/there..manaGED TO RAISE ANT ETERNAL YOUTH..damm caps

<..estranged>>

were you/ALL..estranged..or just the 13th?

<<..,WHO NEVER HAD A FAMILY CHRISTMAS,>>
it was just after the war..but evenorphanages..have se,mblances..of a xmass dinner

<<..OR PRESENTS..>>

lets say/the post-war/child..in/you 'died..inthe 60's
you/never married..you never can have been..homeless..[as they get free xmass dinner]..so clearly your childless/or atheist..or other creed..most the world never heard of christ..let alone christymass

just as/you would not/be aware..of the fesitivus of lights
ignorance isnt any excuse for sympathy..you never herd..cause you..never thought to ask..or try to/give it.;a/try.[even to your kids]

if any
[plus/their mother
or else you avoided it..what do..you want?

sump-athy..[ok..poor you]

[or you/them..or both..somehow..decided
the kids wernt going to celebrate xmass

presence..<<FROM FAMILY UNDER A TREE,OR A TRADITIONAL FAMILY CHRISTMAS DINNER..>>

if you never had one
how do you know..you havnt

you ever pigged out on fruit booze pork/prawn
smoked eel herring and vanila truffle snails
mayte poor you..?

geeze ol geezer..how come my/guides are so peeved ?
i..havnt ever felt the chill..from/them like that

see
you are special

Hi there CHRISGAFF1000...

How're things been going for you these days ? Sounds like life's been no 'bed of roses' for you either eh ? Seems there's many of us who wish we'd managed to enjoy a Christmas with our close family more often, instead of wasting much of our early lives with stubborn obstinacy and arrogant self-importance.

When I was younger despite being in the military and the coppers, I was still a bit of a 'boofhead' 'til 23-24 years. Any estrangement I had with my family, 90% was caused by my own character deficiencies, and hubris, rather than anyone else's fault ! Marriage and responsibilities was the kick in the arse that I needed.

You say, emotions like love, empathy, and caring were concepts that were manifestly absent even unnecessary, in the coppers and the military ? Chris, I'd have to disagree with you there, but this is neither the time nor place to expand that discussion ?

I recall this old coot I once locked up, when at #4 Div. He said, '...we all bleed when we're cut...' ? A truer sentence I've never heard Chris.

Go kindly old friend.

Chris,
Oddly enough I reckon I learnt more about mateship, empathy, morals and ethics from the kids I grew up with in the orphanage than I ever did from adults. Like you I was a ward of the state from a very early age until I turned 18.
I see many positives in my upbringing and have utilised them over the years.
I have never been bitter, no time for that. Too busy. What's done is done.
I enjoy this living business and I do not have to look too far to find others who really are having a battle with life.
It's all good.
Take it easy.
SD

The common thread appears that that regardless of ideology or background, those of us who had good dads miss them greatly, & those who had no dad, or a lousy one, miss the one they wish they had.

Christmas is mentioned a bit, & I can understand why. I was set for a lone Christmas in Rabaul [PNG] one year. I had to be in a town to ring mum. She would have been devastated if she had not received a Christmas call. In those days, trying to make a phone call from that area, by a yacht's radio was an exercise bound to fail.

I was a member of the yacht club, raced with them when in port, & had quite a few friendly nodding acquaintances, but no real friends in the town. A couple I knew, but not well, non active members of the yacht club, invited me to Christmas lunch. They were 2 of the 10 people I had taken to the Duke of Yorks Ball, on my yacht, a couple of months earlier. They invited another solo bloke, an electrical engineer who taught math at the college.

No air conditioning up there in those days, so lunch was in a house-wind, a heavily thatched roof on polls in the garden, with a few woven coconut fond 3Ft high mats forming sort of walls, & the same as the floor.

We were totally different people, but in that setting it was a really happy Christmas group. I don't know if she wanted more than just the 2 of them, or was being nice to what she probably saw as a couple of lost souls, whatever, I really appreciated the gesture, & had an excellent Christmas.

Hasbeen,
I lived in Rabaul for a time, around '68.
I was a member of the yacht club, did a bit of sailing.
Enjoyed my time there, moved to Morseby after Rabaul.
Off topic but just for info, bought myself a sextant for Christmas, I have about four now, I take a sight from time to time to keep my eye in.
SD