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Thread: If You Are An Australian Be One

  1. #46
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    ST GEORGE - PATRON SAINT OF ENGLAND
    ST GEORGES DAY - APRIL 23RD
    Every nation has its own ‘Patron Saint’ who in times of great peril is called upon to help save the country from its enemies. St David is the patron saint of Wales, St Andrew of Scotland and St Patrick of Ireland - St George being the patron saint of England.

    But who was St. George, and what did he do to become England’s Patron Saint?

    Very little is known about St. George’s life, but it is thought he was a high ranking officer in the Roman army who was killed in around AD 303.

    It seems that the Emperor Diocletian had St. George tortured to make him deny his faith in Christ. However despite some of the most terrible torture even for that time, St George showed incredible courage and faith and was finally beheaded near Lydda in Palestine. His head was later taken to Rome where it was interred in the church dedicated to him.

    Stories of his strength and courage soon spread throughout Europe. The best-known story about St. George is his fight with a dragon, but it is highly unlikely that he ever fought a dragon, and even more unlikely that he ever visited England, however his name was known there as early as the eighth-century.

    In the Middle Ages the dragon was commonly used to represent the Devil. Unfortunately the many legends connected with St. George’s name are fictitious, and the slaying of the ‘Dragon’ was first credited to him in the twelfth-century.

    St. George, so the story goes, killed a dragon on the flat topped Dragon Hill in Uffington, Berkshire, and it is said that no grass grows where the dragon’s blood trickled down!

    It was probably the 12th century Crusaders however who first invoked his name as an aid in battle.



    King Edward III made him the Patron Saint of England when he formed the Order of the Garter in St. George's name in 1350, and the cult of the Saint was further advanced by King Henry V, at the battle of Agincourt in northern France.

    Shakespeare made sure that nobody would forget St. George, and has King Henry V finishing his pre-battle speech with the famous phrase, ‘Cry God for Harry, England and St. George!’

    King Henry himself, who was both warlike and devout, was thought by his followers to possess many of the saint’s characteristics.

    St. George’s Day is still celebrated, and his flag flown, on his feast day, April 23rd all over England.

    An interesting piece of trivia - Shakespeare was born on St. George’s Day. 1564, and if the story is to be believed, died on St. George’s Day, 1616.

    An appropriate end perhaps for the man who helped to immortalise the Saint in English tradition
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  2. #47
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    Bit of Pommie home culture

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  3. #48
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    The bugle call Last Post is inextricably part of the end of day traditions which include Beating the Retreat and Tattoo.

    Retreat is the older custom dating back to the 16th Century and consisting of prolonged drum beating at sunset to warn the night guard to mount and also to give notice that the gates of the town walls were about to close. This custom was also part of the end of day battle procedure when volleys were fired and a hymn played in honour of those who had fallen during the day. At this time of evening the colour would be trooped. Today this latter activity is replaced by the lowering of the National Flag.

    There is some confusion over the ‘post’ calls. It seems that the ‘First Post’ and 'Last Post' came into being in the early part of the 19th Century. The ‘First Post’ was sounded as the orderly officer, the orderly sergeant and a drummer (with a bugle) started the Tattoo. They then marched from post to post with the drummer beating his drum. Upon reaching the final post the drummer would sound the Last Post. (This is why drummers carry a bugle.)

    The Last Post was really the end of the day (a hard day’s fighting and a hard night’s drinking).

    This bugle call has been passed down through the centuries in many countries of the world as an accompaniment to the impressive rites of a soldier’s farewell - the closing bars wail out their sad valediction to the departing warrior

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  4. #49
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    Women in war
    For centuries women have been involved in every kind of war and conflict imaginable, especially as nurses. Australian nurses have dealt face-to-face with war - the sick, the wounded and the dead. They have served in Australia, in war zones across the world and on hospital ships and transports.

    More recent conflicts have seen the gender based boundaries traditionally seen in wartime blur. These days, there are few jobs within Australia's armed services that are not open to women. Similarly, female soldiers are also commonplace.

    And while women still fulfil traditional roles of administrators and nurses, it is not unusual to see male nurses and female doctors working together on military missions, such as when the Australian military provided support to victims of the December 2004 tsunami in Indonesia.
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  5. #50
    Senior Member kakegc's Avatar
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    The men of 3RAR ("old faithful") fought at the battle of Kapyong 22nd to 24th April 1951 in Korea, alongside men from the 2nd Battalion Princess Pat's Canadian light Infantry & A Company 72nd heavy tank Battalion (USA). Very special men, all of them! they held off almost the entire Chinese army to win an amazing victory! Tomorrow is "Kapyong day" in rememberance of the amazing feat that these men performed. Please spare them a thought during your day tomorrow!

  6. #51
    Senior Member heggie's Avatar
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    made me home sick reading the STGeorge post admin .

    i have lived in Australia for nearly 4 years now and i love the way of life ,and the sun !
    i am in your country and i treat your way of life with repect .its true if you dont like it, LEAVE . I am a very proud Englishman and love my country so understand Aussies arent that different in loving their own country . everyone who comes in this country should live the aussie way ! (cold beer after work ) or try to .
    its never easy moving to a new country ,but everyone has been really friendly towards me .(helps having a aussie wife) ha .
    just having my say cheers heggie

    Go the ST George Dragons !!!!!!!!

  7. #52
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    Quote Originally Posted by administrator
    HERE YOU G0 article below

    I'm so proud to be an AussieJohn Ilhan

    January 21, 2007 12:00am
    Article from: Sunday Herald SunFont size: + -
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    JOHN Ilhan writes: IT'S an important time to consider what it really means to be an Australian.

    Australia Day is just around the corner, allowing us to express our patriotic feelings with pride.

    Australia has given me everything. It has embraced Crazy John's and allowed it to become a successful company employing hundreds of people. I met an Australian girl from Hawthorn who became my wife and now we are a loving family of six following the recent proud birth of our son.

    Of course, nationalism can also be misdirected, as the events of the first day at the Australian Open showed when the destructive side of patriotic jingoism raised its ugly head. No matter what our background, we are Australians.

    The loyalty first and foremost to Australia should also be remembered by some religious leaders, including some radical Muslim leaders in Australia, who pretend to speak for the faith, but instead promote intolerance and hatred. These thankfully are in the minority, but they should respect Australian laws and not preach division and fear. If they cannot respect Australian law then they should have their citizenship revoked or not be allowed back in the country if they are living overseas.

    My Muslim faith qualifies me to strongly denounce any racist and inflammatory comments made by any Muslim leaders because they perpetuate a stereotype that is unhelpful and dangerous.

    I am the proud son of Turkish parents. I missed out on being born in Australia by a few years, but each day I thank my lucky stars that I came to this country. Most people came to this country to build a better life. They should be thankful and grateful to be here. Therefore immigrants must learn the Australian way of life, culture and learn the English language.

    For many Australians, the true awakening of our national identity was at Gallipoli. Each year thousands of young Australians travel to the Turkish coast to discover the sacrifices and courage shown by those young Anzacs in World War I.

    In recent years there has been a growing appreciation also of the courage and determination shown by the Turkish troops in that battle.

    I had relatives who fought in the First World War against the Anzacs, yet today, if there was another world war, I would fight for Australia without hesitation. I would die for this country.

    I love Australia for what it stands for. It embraces opportunity, inclusion and, most important of all, mateship. What Australia has taught me is that if you give something - like the hand of friendship or provide a service that fulfils a need - you will be repaid many times over. They say that America is the "land of opportunity", but I say Australia is. I'm a good example - a boy from Broadmeadows made good.

    That is also why I am giving back to the community in the form of the llhan Food Allergy Foundation to promote research and education into food allergies that affect hundreds of thousands of Australians.

    On Australia Day, I am lucky enough to be playing the role of an ambassador and will speak to a gathering of people in Melbourne about my family and what it means to be Australian. It will be a chance to celebrate with others what was the best decision my family ever made -- to come to this wonderful country and the great city of Melbourne.

    Australia doesn't owe us anything - we owe Australia.

    JOHN ILHAN is founder and chief executive of mobile phone chain Crazy John's.


    Crazy John's founder John Ilhan, who died suddenly on Tuesday of a heart attack, will be remembered as a rags-to-riches migrant who gave generously back to the community.

    Representatives from politics, business, sport and religion have paid tribute to the 42-year-old mobile phone entrepreneur who collapsed and died on Tuesday morning while walking near his home in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Brighton.

    The father-of-four was one of Australia's richest men, amassing a personal fortune of $310 million since launching his mobile phone retail chain in 1991.

    He was named the 126th richest man in Australia in this year's Business Review Weekly top 200 rich list.

    As tributes flowed for the businessman, the company's managing director Brendan Fleiter told AAP it was a "pretty sad day".

    He learned of Mr Ilhan's death at 8.30am (AEST) when he received a call from Mr Ilhan's wife, Patricia.

    "She's obviously very shocked as is everybody," Mr Fleiter said, with a note of disbelief.

    "He has four young children."

    Mr Fleiter said he last spoke to Mr Ilhan on Monday afternoon. He had not been unwell, Mr Fleiter said, but was a picture of health.

    "The guy was fit and healthy ... he had a gym at his house."

    Mr Fleiter described his boss as a man who was generous with his employees and the wider community, including those less fortunate than himself.

    He was also a fair and caring boss.

    "He was fair, he was passionate, he was driven, he was demanding, and caring," Mr Fleiter said.

    A close friend who spent family holidays with Mr Ilhan, Grocon property developer Daniel Grollo, said his friend was an "incredibly inspirational guy who gave a lot back to the community".

    He was a "self-made guy who achieved a hell of a lot", Mr Grollo said.

    Prime Minister John Howard also paused to pay his respects to the mobile phone magnate.

    "If the country is kind to you and allows you to make a lot of money, you should give it back," Mr Howard said.

    "And he understood that Australian way and that's why it's especially sad that we've lost him."

    Victorian Premier John Brumby remembered Mr Ilhan as a successful businessman and philanthropist.

    "He was a great example of an Australian success story, someone who arrived here as a migrant ... and became a very, very successful individual, successful in business and successful in the community."

    Mr Ilhan was born in Turkey and migrated with his parents at the age of five to Australia, where he grew up in the working class Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows.

    He was renowned for his support of charities including homeless children's organisation Kids Under Cover, the Royal Children's Hospital, the Lighthouse Foundation, the Shane Warne Foundation and St Vincent De Paul, among others.

    Last year, he established the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation with his wife, after the couple discovered their daughter Jaida suffered a peanut allergy.

    He was also a supporter and sponsor of the Richmond Football Club.

    The AFL club was among many organisations to express its sympathies.

    The Islamic Council of Victoria also paid tribute to one of its most valued members.

    "His was an inspiring Australian story, the son of Turkish migrants whose talent and hard work made him one of Australia's most successful businessmen," said Islamic Council of Victoria president Ramzi Elsayed.

    In an interview recorded last month and broadcast on Monday night on Channel Seven's Today Tonight, Mr Ilhan said he was traumatised by the death of his elder brother Gerald 10 years ago.

    "When my brother passed away I struggled, I was so sad, so traumatised by the whole experience, I didn't go to work for three months," he said.

    "I just started praying every night and that's what got me through it.

    "Until I started praying I couldn't get through it.

    "I'd collapse in the shower and cry like a baby, I'd drive my car and cry like a baby."

    Mr Ilhan also said he spent the first five years of his mobile phone business spending "all day, all night in the shop worrying about every cent", he said.

    Crazy John's has more than 120 retail stores across Australia employing over 700 staff.

    Our condolences to his wife Patricia and their four children - daughters Jaida, Hannah and Yasmin, and eight-month-old son Aidan.

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  8. #53
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    gez thats the first i have heard of this.only 42.that is sad

  9. #54
    Senior Member heggie's Avatar
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    goes to show , you need to live your life to the full because you never know when your time is up ! plus stop smoking !
    ~~{Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.}~~

  10. #55
    Junior Member nigelr's Avatar
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    Always sad to lose a great Aussie.
    Most sincere commiserations to his family.

  11. #56
    Senior Member m287j's Avatar
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    I met John several times back when i lived in Melbourne and i was i corporate life. A really top bloke with a great personality and always generous. A very sad loss for his family and the community as a whole.

    We need more blokes like him.

    Mmm, must give up the smokes.

  12. #57
    Senior Member mowjoman's Avatar
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    Someone sent me this story the other day...A good one


    I am lead to believe,an incident occurred in a supermarket
    recently, when the following was witnessed:
    A Muslim woman dressed in a Burkha (A black gown & face
    mask) was standing with her shopping in a queue at the checkout.

    When it was her turn to be served, and as she reached the
    cashier,
    she made a loud remark about the Australian Flag lapel pin, which
    the female cashier was wearing on her blouse.

    The cashier reached up and touched the pin and said, "Yes,
    I always wear it proudly. My son serves abroad with the forces and I wear it for him".

    The Muslim woman then asked the cashier when she was going
    to stop bombing and killing her countrymen explaining that she was Iraqi.

    At that point, an elderly Gentleman standing in the queue
    stepped forward, and interrupted with a calm and gentle voice, and said to the Iraqi woman:

    "Excuse me, but hundreds of thousands of Australian men
    and women, just like this ladies son have fought and sacrificed their lives so that people just like YOU can stand here, in Australia, which is MY country and allow you to blatantly accuse an innocent check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen".

    "It is my belief that if you were allowed to be as outspoken as
    that in Iraq, which you claim to be YOUR country, then we wouldn't need to be fighting there today". ."However - now that you have learned how to speak out and criticise the Australian people who have afforded you the protection of MY country, I will gladly pay the cost of a ticket to help you pay your way back to Iraq ".
    "When you get there, and if you manage to survive for being as
    outspoken as what you are here in Australia, then you should be
    able to help straighten out the mess which YOUR Iraqi countrymen have got you into in the first place, which appears to be the reason that you have come to MY country to avoid."
    Apparently the queue cheered and applauded. ...

  13. #58
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    Diggers kill five in Iraq battle

    By Lincoln Wright

    October 08, 2006 12:00am
    Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld)

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    AUSTRALIAN troops have told how they killed at least five Iraqi insurgents while fighting off an attack aimed at wiping out the 60-strong force of Diggers.

    In the first action specifically targeting Australian troops in Iraq, the Townsville-based Diggers fought an hour-long battle in the strife-torn city of al-Rumaythah.

    The insurgents' aim, commanders on the spot said, was brutal: surround and kill the Australian force.

    At least 30 balaclava-clad insurgents dressed in black, carrying AK-47s and grenade launchers – but shielded at times by civilians – attacked the Australian column as it visited a police barracks in the city on September 26.

    In a bold move, the Diggers – led by 32-year-old Major Andrew Stevens, of the Townsville-based 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment – called in US Air Force F-16s, which buzzed the insurgents to scare and distract them.

    After an exclusive briefing, The Sunday Mail can reveal details of how a visit by Major Stevens and a team of reconstruction experts to al-Rumaythah – a city of 75,000 – turned into a wild, bloody gunfight with thousands of rounds of ammunition fired.

    The Australians had gone to discuss training for the Iraqi Army and police force as well as a barracks refit.

    When the insurgents were spotted trying to surround the barracks, Major Stevens decided to withdraw, and the battle began.

    Major Stevens and his platoon arrived at the police barracks in the army's all-purpose Bushmaster vehicles at about 9am. It was a bright, sunny morning.

    Accompanying them were snipers, who set up in watchtowers around the barracks, as well as an infantry platoon.

    And nearby were two ready-reaction forces from the 2/14 Lighthorse Regiment in Brisbane, in armoured personnel carriers.

    As the meeting got underway, the town seemed secure.

    But at about 9.30am, Iraqi insurgents, in groups of two and three, began acting suspiciously, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Mahy, commander of the Overwatch Battle Group (West).

    "They were clearly conducting surveillance on our activity," Lt-Col. Mahy said.

    During the next hour, the insurgent groups gathered throughout the town. Soon after 11am an insurgent fired a rocket-propelled grenade and the action began.

    "There were groups of three and two moving through the urban areas to try and surround the barracks to conduct deliberate action," Lt-Col. Mahy said.

    From 11.10am until after midday the insurgents attacked the barracks with machine guns, grenades, sniper fire and AK-47 fire from a distance of 200m to 300m.

    "They were attempting to prevent us withdrawing, but they failed to flank the side of the barracks around the north and the south," Lt-Col. Mahy said.

    As Australian snipers fired at the insurgents from the watchtowers, the platoon to the west of the barracks held its ground.

    Then an Australian officer on the ground called in the F-16s to fly low and fast over the insurgents.

    "That was to create lots of noise and distraction at critical times and it worked well," Lt-Col. Mahy said.

    The platoon kept the insurgents at bay while Major Stevens and his party left the barracks in the Bushmasters.

    Up to 30 insurgents were involved in the battle, but Lt-Col. Mahy said it was hard to tell if more were involved because of the urban sprawl.

    Major Stevens' party left the barracks under heavy AK-47 fire, but his party sustained no casualties and escaped the town by 12.15pm.

    The Australians fought with a standard suite of weapons, including the Steyr rifle, light weapons and machine guns. But they held off using heavy weapons or the rockets of the F-16s.

    "They withdrew in a very disciplined way. They put themselves at risk to ensure the safety of civilians. The courage they displayed was quite significant," Lt-Col. Mahy said.

    "It was an urban environment, in town, with the potential to cause injury to civilians. The soldiers were very, very careful with their fire."

    At this stage, the identity of the insurgents – whether they were Sunnis or Shia religious groups, or al-Qaida – cannot be confirmed, he said.

    The Defence Department said this week the al-Rumaythah battle was the first time Australians had faced a co-ordinated attack in Iraq.

    "It took them a while to get their act together to try to take us on," Lt-Col. Mahy said.

    "Even though they were co-ordinated and they were able to deliver a lot of firepower, I haven't had to put a single Band-Aid on any of the people involved in the action.

    "There wasn't a single mark on any of the vehicles. And we had one bullet go through one tyre which didn't affect the performance of the vehicle.

    "It was certainly co-ordinated – but co-ordinated in a particularly Arab way."


    PIC 1 armoured personnel carriers.
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  14. #59
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    Aussie troops in Iraq just symbolic: Blix

    Posted Wed Nov 7, 2007 11:03am AEDT
    Updated Wed Nov 7, 2007 11:30am AEDT
    Symbolic presence: An Australian soldier trains one of his Iraqi counterparts

    Symbolic presence: An Australian soldier trains one of his Iraqi counterparts (ADF)

    * Audio: Former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix talks to ABC 702 host Virginia Trioli. (ABC News)

    Former United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix says Australia's contribution to the war in Iraq is just a symbolic one.

    Mr Blix, who led a weapons-hunting team to Iraq in 2002, is in Sydney to receive the Sydney Peace Prize.

    "If you only have some 500 people and the whole core [of coalition troops] down there is over 150,000, then the greatest value is the symbolic one," he said.

    "It [means it] can be said that this is just not a unilateral operation of the US, but it's broader."

    Mr Blix also says the removal of Saddam Hussein has hindered the people of Iraq by replacing a dictatorship with anarchy.

    Earlier he told ABC Radio National that civil war is a strong possibilty, but not a certainty, if foreign troops pull out of Iraq.

    He told interviewer Fran Kelly that a properly timed and complete withdrawal could work.

    "The risk is there, but if you have a timetable saying that within a year all troops will be gone or whatever's to be the time, then they have time to think it over and to try to get to agreements between themselves - because they know the alternative may be a civil war," he said.


    Pic below Symbolic presence: An Australian soldier trains one of his Iraqi counterparts (ADF)
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  15. #60
    Senior Member twin_cities_lawncare's Avatar
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    Default Re: If You Are An Australian Be One

    We take it for granted how good we have it here. My young nephew who is currently over in Afghanistan on duty will have his 21st birthday over there later this year (d.v.) and was in the next ASLAV/whatever that Sgt Locke was in on that fateful day (25/10)...it could have been him.
    I know we have idiots on the road here in Australia as well, but over there it is literally terrible. I hope the overseas personnel will be able to have a relatively peaceful Christmas this year, but there is no guarantee of that, considering the enemies of peace they have to contend with. It makes life here in Australia sound like a picnic in the park
    Ciao for now ~ Christine
    senior partner of "Townsville Lawn Care"

    "Twin Cities Lawncare" was re-named in 2008
    due to the amalgamation of two local councils -
    Due to confusion of previous/current business name,
    I'm opting to post in here as Christine Wharton now

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