For those of you who might feel some unease at the militaristic metaphors in the previous post, get nicked. As you can see, I have always been inclined to militarism. It is part of my mainstream Australian cultural heritage and should be honoured, just as much as collaboration is honoured in France.This photograph shows me in the school cadets, at a very sensitive and significant moment. I was approaching that great milestone of puberty - no, not when my voice broke, but the day when I could finally get the muzzle of a Lee Enfield .303 rifle under my arm while standing to attention.
This was the standard indicator of puberty to boys of my generation growing up in Australia. I... I... can't go on... my eyes are swimming with tears, in a moment I'll be bawling like a Frenchman.
