Page 2687 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 October 1992
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I look down with pride on our mighty sports men and women as they win honours for their country, all over the world.
At every official or memorable event in this land, I hold the position of honour.
Following World War I, we frolicked in our new found liberty ... growth, prosperity, increase and our common wealth. But far to the north in Russia, a new tyranny spewed forth, slaughtering the rich and regal, the lowly and humble, usurping the sovereignty of nations not of its own. We watched from afar, protected by the border of oceans. Then came 1939, and once again we heard the beat of the Warmonger's drums. Again, my heart went out to our brave soldiers, sailors and airmen. I was there with them, in the Middle East, in New Guinea, Malaya, Borneo and many other places. I was trodden in the mud, red with the blood of those brave young Australians, so ruthlessly murdered in POW camps. Lest you forget!
Finally, in '45, peace at last, so we thought. With just a few short years rest, I was again carried into battle, caught up in further hostilities by those promoting war. I watched and praised the endurance and spirit of our volunteers in Korea. I, too, felt the sufferings of our brave sons and daughters in the forces in Vietnam ... Lest you forget!
I am well known and remembered in many places. I am flown every day in the school at Villers Bretonneux in France where grateful children and teachers do not forget their debt to Australian soldiers.
I am many things to many people. To some, I am yesterday, today and tomorrow - an inseparable link in the chain that binds men to God and Country. And because I am on the side of God through our great heritage, there are the godless who seek to destroy me and replace those 3 Christian crosses with plants or animals.
But, they dare not. Why? Because today I am everywhere - in the homes of the humble and the mansions of millionaires. I am in the cities, the suburbs, and in country towns. From coast to coast, right across this great nation, I am raised with pride and dignity.
Oh, my people, you have given so much to be Australian and I am proud that we are one, bonded through trial and triumph. Look at me and remember our heritage and realise our great future. Together we will grow, and all the world will know. You must never allow those who seek to reduce adversity into dust, to grind our treasures into a melting pot. And as you consider the future of your own true identity, remember - I was there in your every hour of loss ... your every moment of glory, so, too, I will be there in all your tomorrows.
Tho proud, loyal and glorious through all my short history, there is one thing for which I need you most of all - I cannot fasten myself to the flagstaff. Lest you forget!
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