Dear o sung wu,

Thanks for the heads up on Tim Heath's book. I will check with the local library to see if they can source them for me and thanks for your kind offer.

I am half way through listening/watching Rollo Kingsford-Smith's interview he did for the Australian Wartime Film Archive initiative by the University of New South Wales. Well worth a viewing if you have the time.

http://australiansatwarfilmarchive.unsw.edu.au/archive/570-rollo-kingsford-smith

Quite astonishing to think of him sneaking Qantas pilots into Lancaster bombing training to get them up to speed. Well worth a listen.

As to women in combat have you heard about Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko? Russian sniper with 309 confirmed kills. There was a recent film about her life on SBS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Pavlichenko

Or the Night Witches?

"Night Witches" was a World War II German nickname for the all female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces. ... On October 8, 1941, an order was issued to deploy three women's air-force units, including the 588th Regiment. The regiment, formed by Raskova and led by Major Yevdokiya Bershanskaya, was composed primarily of female volunteers in their late teens and early twenties.

An attack technique of the night bombers involved idling the engine near the target and gliding to the bomb-release point with only wind noise left to reveal their presence. German soldiers likened the sound to broomsticks and hence named the pilots "Night Witches". Due to the weight of the bombs and the low altitude of flight, the pilots did not carry parachutes until 1944.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Witches

Anyway mate I trust you are still fit enough to connect again in person with others this ANZAC day. Have a good one.

ttbn,

Oh Dear!

Do you realize that you are the one doing the "spraying"
in this discussion.

I realize that you enjoy "venting
your spleen" so to speak but what you're doing here is
making accusations that have no substance.

I am proud
of this country and have declared many times that I would
not want to live anywhere else. I am also hesitant about
making any changes to the type of government we currently have.

Also calling people names and making assumptions about people
you don't know lowers the bar in any debate. You need
some self-control. I'm sure you in real life are not the
person you present to us on this forum.

The ignoramus coming across here is YOU!

Try to do better - if you can. and please don't tell us
that you don't care what people think about you. If that was
the case - you would not keep responding "ad nauseum. "

Dear Banjo Paterson,

The fundamental barrier to building a mood for change
may be to actually educate the public about the way
our political system works.

We also have the matter of how a head of state should
be selected. This was the challenge that de-railed the
Republican cause decades ago.

Can the Royal family re-invent itself? At the same time
will a Republic fix the problems of the lack of separation
between executive and legislature, the overlap of
tiers of government? Do our democratic processes lack
the tools to deal with an integrated world where
Corporations, culture and commerce increasingly operate
across borders?

What the problem a Republic will fix?

Foxy,

I take it you've hear the expression 'rat with a gold tooth'. It sums up you and your pretentions very well.

ttbn,

No I haven't heard of that quote.
I don't mix in that sort of company.
Besides I'm to tall
to qualify as a rodent, my legs are too long. And I'm
naturally awesome. Also
I have all of my own teeth, so the gold tooth thingy
doesn't suit. But you've proven my point.

Venting and insulting again.

I guess it's your problem. I tried but - I'll leave you
to it.

Now back to the topic.

Back to the topic:

It's fair to say the Republic is not a top
priority for Australians.

In 2019 the Australian Election Study showed 51% of
Australians wanted to retain the Queen as their
head of state.

This presents Republican activists with a much
harder task then at any point in the past decades.
The need to make a huge dent in public opinion
to achieve the double majority support required
nationally and in at least 4 states for the
dissolution of the Australian monarchy.

We're told that support for a Republic is strongest
among baby boomers with about 65% wanting a revised
constitution.