I think I scrawled KILL THEM ALL in big axe-murderer type letters. I may have been pissed.

Originally Posted by littlejim

There's a rather nice story that's supposed to have happened when Keating was Prime Minister and Alexander Downer was having a drink with some visiting British MP's at the Parliament House bar. Downer being not only a Liberal MP but the son of Sir Alec Downer, educated in the UK, more British than the British and born with a plum in his mouth.

Anglo-Australian relationships were going swimmingly until a drunken middle aged woman staggered over to them screaming at the top of her voice: "Go on, Alex, let these pommie fucking bastards tell about all the poor fuckers they've murdered in Ireland -- go on, ask them, you fat fucking arsehole!"

Fortunately she fell over the furniture at that point and was carried away.

"Good Lord, Alex, who was that?" one of the Brits asked.

"Oh don't bother about her -- she's just the Federal Minister for Education."

Not massively different to how our elected reps seem to behave, keeping up the mother country standards old boy!

Originally Posted by Mark The Convict

I think I scrawled KILL THEM ALL in big axe-murderer type letters. I may have been pissed.

Watch out asio will be watching. Best get measured up for a new tinfoil hat.

I've been told (semi-officially) that I do actually have an ASIO file, as a consequence of attending a certain course. It must make very brief, dull reading, until now, that is...hang on, someone's at the door. Back in a second.

Originally Posted by beagleboy

I've read the book, I've seen the film and have the DVD. Military procedures during that time were followed be it as loose as they were, is my understanding anyway. To compare that age and protocols with today's standards has no merit, your putting 'your' values on another time. That was then, this is now with all these Bolshie's and their black armband of history. After the military decision an act was passed through Parliament that no Australian Soldier would be tried by a British Military Court.

Disclaimer: Personally I reckon it was a set-up.

Actually wrong. The correct procedures that applied at the time were not followed and that is the whole basis that the Attorney-General has been asked to review the case.

However, I agree that the whole thing is a waste of time after all these years. Even if a review was to find that the court martial was unlawful (and therefore the execution) it is not a legal appeal and therefore the original decision cannot be set aside and even if it could be, what are they going to do? Dig them up and have another court martial - hardly.

Originally Posted by Mark The Convict

I've been told (semi-officially) that I do actually have an ASIO file, as a consequence of attending a certain course. It must make very brief, dull reading, until now, that is...hang on, someone's at the door. Back in a second.

If memory serves everyone who served in the ADF has a file. I think mine has CUNT stamped on it in red.

Originally Posted by goatrutar

If memory serves everyone who served in the ADF has a file. I think mine has CUNT stamped on it in red.

Feral admirer from afar, you are too hard on yourself. It may of had emblazened in neon signs: Has a perchant for being an utter CUNT.

A former digger of my acquaintance, who managed to get sacked from both the Regs and the Chocs, reputedly had NEVER TO BE PROMOTED stamped/written in his pers file. Anyone know if annotating files like that is indeed Army practise?

This came after he got busted from L/Cpl for losing a 66mm whilst a student on a Sub 2 Cpl, and then threatening to kill the WO DS who told him to go back and find it. I'm inclined to believe it, since it was the last of a long string of such efforts. He is probably either long-dead or in jail by now.

Originally Posted by Mark The Convict

A former digger of my acquaintance, who managed to get sacked from both the Regs and the Chocs, reputedly had NEVER TO BE PROMOTED stamped/written in his pers file. Anyone know if annotating files like that is indeed Army practise?

This came after he got busted from L/Cpl for losing a 66mm whilst a student on a Sub 2 Cpl, and then threatening to kill the WO DS who told him to go back and find it. I'm inclined to believe it, since it was the last of a long string of such efforts. He is probably either long-dead or in jail by now.

The only confirmed practice of writing over the front of a Pers File is: LMF - Lack of Moral Fibre: World War II practice for Aircrew if they balked at a sortie.

Aha. I'd heard of LMF, I gather it was something of a disgrace, but eminently more bearable than being dead.