Dear Paul,

I've also met some previous Prime Ministers.
Gough Whitlam was impressive - a great speaker.
However his recognition of the Soviet occupation
of the Baltic States lost my vote.
Then Malcolm Fraser, I found a bit shy - much to my
surprise. At the state level - Jeff Kennett made a
pathetic speech on Lithuania's Independence. He hadn't
prepared for the occasion and spoke about gun control
shame on him. John Howard on the other hand came across
as a charmer. I liked him. He knew what he was talking
about. Of course Bob Hawke was great as was Paul Keating.
Telling it like it is.

How many of us recall teachers who made an impact
on us? I remember quite a few - the one that really
stands out was my English Mistress who made instilled
in me the love of Shakespeare. She did this by getting
us to act out the various characters in the plays we
were studying. Clever lady. She got us involved in the
plays. I still remember playing the role of Portia in
the Merchant of Venice, "The quality of Mercy is not
strained..."