Honour, not talkfest
Struth, it’s Gellibrand
NAME the bridge connecting the Cenotaph and Queens Domain Gellibrand Bridge. War correspondent Charles Bean wrote in his History of the Legacy Club of Sydney. “Coming back to the great and good man from whose original work it all sprang — there was a time when some of us thought that the best monument to John Gellibrand might be the story of Second Bullecourt. Now I feel there will be an even better — the record of Legacy.”
If I could cross that great divide, sit with fallen diggers in Flanders Fields and ask, “Mates, if you had to name a bridge Remembrance (to remember you) or Gellibrand, he’s an Aussie soldier, became a major-general, started a foundation to look after your families and incapacitated servicemen and women, it’s still going strong after 93 years, which would you choose?” I reckon they would say: “Struth mate, are you soft between the ears? We fought and died here for our families and our country. It’s great to know you remember us, but looking after the ones we left, the ones we loved, and our injured buddies, that’s the answer.” Let Tasmania honour its great and good man. the wonders of the animal kingdom than visiting depressed animals in captivity. We urge everyone to recognise these institutions for what they are, prisons with living exhibits. Let’s donate to campaigns that protect animals in their native habitats. HEAR, hear (“Just get on with the job”, Mercury editorial, June 7). How frustrating it is to watch our elected representatives both state and local government talking “the small stuff”, finger-pointing at colleagues and opposition members, gossiping, muckraking and spending precious time on trivial matters. Do we really need all these highly paid, frustrating and nonproductive representatives? It should be an honour and a privilege to serve one’s electorate and community, not a talkfest. about traffic jams 5km long or lost productivity from business or its people. But at least we can bury a bloke alive in Hobart’s busiest street and I bet the planning for the next wine tasting night or poetry recital is going very well indeed.