Remember Menzies

Selfless, skilled, brave

I FIND it disappointing the word “miracle” is used to describe the rescue of the boys and their coach trapped in the flooded cave in Thailand. The rescue is due to selfless, highly skilled and incredibly brave rescue teams. There is no element of a miracle to it, regardless of any supposed stream of prayer floating into the ether to the various deities represented by those hoping for a successful outcome. It is glib and disrespectful to the rescuers applying their training, knowledge and sense of shared humanity to the rescue. A miracle is by definition simply the deity of your choice committing unnatural acts. Please avoid this all-too-tempting epithet to describe an outcome achieved through human endeavour. It belittles the rescuers’ efforts, commitment and heroism. we lived in different times our attitudes would not have condoned all that went on. It is easy to be wise in hindsight. Yes, it is history, our history, and as such should be kept in mind and such knowledge used to redress some of the wrongs still in place. Our governments, state and federal, are very good at maintaining the silence. HOW I remember an impertinent young reporter asking Sir Robert Menzies if he thought he had any prospect of winning the forthcoming federal election, to which the prime minister replied (looking through those bushy eyebrows), “Young man when you are in the ring and your opponent’s second keeps hitting him over the head with a bucket, victory is guaranteed”. When the Labor Party and Bill Shorten have a friend like Mark Latham, who needs enemies.