Dear David F.,

Prof Haim Ginott said this about teachers:

"Teachers have a unique opportunity to counteract
unhealthy influences in a pupil's early
childhood. They have the power to affect a child's
life for better or for worse. A child becomes
what he experiences. While parents possess the
original key to their offspring's experience,
teachers have a spare key. They too can open or close
minds and hearts of children."

We've all had teachers who've had positive or negative
impacts on us. Teachers who had a unique talent for
complicating life. I've spoken of my maths teacher -
who made me feel ignorant and she used her tongue as a
sword (and her fist). She was a virtuoso not only of
the verbal slap - but in her class I knew what it was
like to feel like a zero.

Yet my English teacher never criticised, she coaxed.
Never pushed, she persuaded. Never insulted, she
inspired. With sensitivity she taught us to contrast
drama and life, to evaluate performance and character.
And it was through her efforts that I came to appreciate
Shakespeare and literature in general.

Thank You for sharing your experiences with us.

Ooooops - I posted this on the wrong discussion so
I shall try again...

Dear Banjo,

I miss Belly more than words can say.
I have mentioned this many times on the forum.
Hopefully he'll come back one day - I only hope it
will be soon, while I'm still around.

I agree with Poirot about Ludwig's stance on Rolf
Harris. It was baffling.

Yabby's still around - I've noticed his posts appearing
from time to time.

Now before I forget - I'd like to Thank everyone who has
contributed to this discussion and I wish us all a
vitriolic free New Year on this Forum

Banjo, I fully understand your determination to continue
your previous takes on issues in the New Year.
As Leonard Cohen explained:

"How can I begin anything new - with all of yesterday
in me!"

I too miss BELLY. So much so, I asked Graham Y. to send him a message from me asking that he consider coming back ? Graham to his absolute credit did convey my message to him, but apparently I didn't have sufficient gravitas in order to persuade him ?

As a token, both to the New Year 2015, and to, two other accomplished contributors who've honoured us with their views and opinions, I'd like to dedicate this piece.

To:- IS MISE, 3RAR Korean War Veteran; and JAYB, Vietnam Veteran.

And...

to my very best mate, David Frank ROBBINS, 3RAR Vietnam,
Dave, I miss you more as each day passes ! RIP.

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the
press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who
has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus
radical, who has given us
freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier who salutes the
flag and whose coffin is draped
by the flag who allows the
protester to burn the flag.

When you look at that, you
understand what we're all
about.

Lest we forget.

From, an anon. US Army General - At the 1997 national convention of Vietnam Veterans of America.

Dear O Sung Wu,

I fully understand your strong feelings about
Vietnam veterans not being fully recognised
because many people were against the Vietnam
war and felt that we should have stayed out of it.
Hence your poem. A fitting tribute to your colleagues.

However, we can only
trust that with the prospect of the next war
being a nuclear one - that we try to avoid war at all
costs. My biggest fear is that our world can
become so obsessed with the problem of hatred
and aggression, that it will allow peace and love
to be regarded as soft and weak. Yet our survival
depends on their dominance.

The simple fact is that soldiers have not given us freedom. In some of Australia's wars Australian soldiers took away freedom from other people. An example of that was the Boer War in which Australian soldiers were active in taking away freedom from the Boers. Freedom of the press was not established by soldiers fighting. It was established by newspapermen printing what the government did not want them to print and other people backing them. We owe woman's suffrage not to soldiers but to the brave women who demonstrated for it and the men who supported them. Soldiers are not even responsible for Australia's independence. That was established by Parkes and others working through the political process. In many wars soldiers simply served the purposes of empire. Australian soldiers joined in the New Zealand wars which took the country from the Maoris. Soldiers in general support the government of the day whether that government supports freedom or not.

Freedom of speech prevails because people had the courage to speak when government wished them to be silent. Australian soldiers fought for the Empire or the country not for political freedom. We owe a debt to soldiers for supporting the country. We do not owe our political freedoms to them. We owe that to the civilians who demonstrated for those freedoms and took part in the political process to gain them.

I just hope that Belly reads these threads.

If so, I would just like to say G'day and wish you all the best.

Never did get to have a beer with you, which I regret.

While you and I had differences on some issues, we had much in common and I really believe Australia needs more honest, straight forward blokes like you. It would be an honour to shake your hand.

Take care mate.