Waving the flag!
Is it just me or does everyone think the only way to harmony in Australia is if we all make an effort to be generous of spirit?
In Sydney, a 17 year old boy with links to the Lebanese community has been ordered to apologise to a group of diggers, face to face, for stealing an Australian flag from their RSL at Brighton and setting fire to it, during the so called Cronulla Riots last year.
The thing about the burning a flag is that it is intended to hurt. It’s a way for someone show contempt for the country which flies that flag.
In some countries - flag-burning is regarded as the greatest sacrilege – something you could be flogged or stoned for. Maybe even worse.
In Australia, I’m happy to say we’re a little different. Yesterday, in a Sydney court, magistrate Jane Baptie gave this misguided 17 year old a chance to redeem himself.
As his punishment for stealing and burning the flag, the boy has been ordered to go to the RSL at Brighton, make a good apology to the members, to tell them why he did what he did, then to listen as they tell him what the Australian flag means to them
The twist in the tale though, is that according to newspaper reports, the diggers aren’t interested.
Overwhelmingly, those interviewed yesterday said they had no time for the boy, they thought the sentence was too light, they didn’t want to hear his story and they certainly wouldn’t be buying him a beer.
I think that’s sad. Like I said, the only way to peace is to try to see the world from another man’s point of view. It's time for some give and take; the giving of a sincere apology, and its generous acceptance.
That way, there’s something in it for all of us.
In Sydney, a 17 year old boy with links to the Lebanese community has been ordered to apologise to a group of diggers, face to face, for stealing an Australian flag from their RSL at Brighton and setting fire to it, during the so called Cronulla Riots last year.
The thing about the burning a flag is that it is intended to hurt. It’s a way for someone show contempt for the country which flies that flag.
In some countries - flag-burning is regarded as the greatest sacrilege – something you could be flogged or stoned for. Maybe even worse.
In Australia, I’m happy to say we’re a little different. Yesterday, in a Sydney court, magistrate Jane Baptie gave this misguided 17 year old a chance to redeem himself.
As his punishment for stealing and burning the flag, the boy has been ordered to go to the RSL at Brighton, make a good apology to the members, to tell them why he did what he did, then to listen as they tell him what the Australian flag means to them
The twist in the tale though, is that according to newspaper reports, the diggers aren’t interested.
Overwhelmingly, those interviewed yesterday said they had no time for the boy, they thought the sentence was too light, they didn’t want to hear his story and they certainly wouldn’t be buying him a beer.
I think that’s sad. Like I said, the only way to peace is to try to see the world from another man’s point of view. It's time for some give and take; the giving of a sincere apology, and its generous acceptance.
That way, there’s something in it for all of us.
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