LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
TOILET PAPER
PROFESSOR Swannell’s comment on the proper utilisation of toilet paper brought back some memories.
When I first started my career in seismic exploration, I worked with an English gentleman called Dave Parker who had been an officer during the World War II with the Royal Artillery Survey Corps. After the war ended, he became a tobacco farmer in Kenya but was turfed out by the Mau Mau in the 1950s and made his way to Australia, and thence to the newly discovered oil fields around Moonie.
“My boy,” he boomed one day as he watched me setting up a survey transit (he always boomed; being ex-artillery he was partly deaf) “the British Army latrines were highly organised. Do you know that toilet paper was rationed? Enlisted men were allowed two pieces; one up, one down. Officers were allowed three; one up, one down and a polisher.”
This, of course, corroborates in part the observation made by the good Professor’s father. Dave also maintained that Field Marshal Montgomery was customarily issued his own personal roll but I suspect this may have been fanciful.
Lieutenant Parker (retired) was a formidable repository of British Army folklore including anecdotes, poetry and song, of which he taught me a great deal and of which I still remember much. Unfortunately, very little of what I remember (well, none actually) is suitable for publication in this newspaper
A. R. KENNY, Toowoomba
CHINA ‘AID’
IN THE school yards of the 1950s, children could be heard echoing a statement from their elders on how Imperial Japan was rebuffed.
The saying went, “If it wasn’t for the Yanks, we would be on a rice diet now.”
Looks like “ground hog” day has returned, only this time Japan is our friend and big brother America is joining in establishing, with PNG and Australia, a massive military base on Manus Island.
In trying to blunt the Chinese economic “aid” advance into our South Pacific area, Australia and its allies face a very uncertain future, when the Chinese tiger snarls at us.
PNG and other small island states have received aid projects, albeit with strings attached, and they probably cannot repay massive loans to China.
On the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War, there is again a sense of foreboding in the air.
The children of the 50s became the youth of the 60s, who listened intently as Peter, Paul and Mary sang their anti-war song, “Where have all the flowers gone, Girls have picked them every one. When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn.
PETER KNOBEL, Toowoomba
UFOS
TO JOHN Bishop and Jane Corbould, regarding your letters about your personal encounters with strange lights have either of you heard of Damien Nott?
He’s a qualified UFOlogist with a degree in practical UFOlogy here in Australia who’s documented more than 2000 personal encounters across country towns and identifies several “UFO hotspots” in NSW, Qld and various other remote country locations in Australia.
I would suggest checking out his documentary, Australian Skies which is directed by Don Meers for Dojo Media. I watched it on Netflix and it was pretty awesome.
I’m sure he’d be interested to hear of your own experiences, it’d be cool if he came and did some sky watching/ filming up here in Toowoomba.
KEV McKAY, Harristown
ABORTION
THE elected representatives of the people in governments never fail to amaze me; heavier jail penalties for child abuse and domestic violence certainly justified but at the same time they pass a new bill allowing the termination of up to full term pregnancies for Queensland women.
Abortion/termination may be acceptable in some cases up to 12 weeks but for heaven’s sake don’t turn our precious doctors into murderers. This is just not acceptable.
JANE CORBOULD, Rangeville