11 December 2012

Boer war memorial charges ahead

| johnboy
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boer war memorial

The British Empire didn’t come to be the largest hegemony in human history by accident. But its architects were always very careful to make it look that way.

One of their more cunning tricks was to make sure the atrocities were committed by related third parties.

Indians in Fiji, Malayans in Sri Lanka, you get the picture. When things got out of hand, or rare survivors blabbed, the proxy soldiers could receive some token discipline and the project could move on.

But when they came up against the rugged Boers on the South African Veldt they had a bit of a problem.

Even British regular soldiers weren’t up to the task so they cast around the globe for a more rugged model.

The young men of Australia were ready and willing for pretty much anything to get them out of Lismore in the summer.

And when the survivors blabbed there were, as usual, token executions to make people feel better, but only after the bloody work was done.

The Herald Sun reports that the National Boer War Memorial has had its design approved for the earmarked site on Anzac Parade.

President of the Boer War Memorial Association former Army Colonel John Haynes said a site for the striking Boer War Memorial had been approved in 2006 and it had taken five years to get a design approved.

The striking memorial will feature a 1.5 life-size section of four mounted troopers galloping through low bush of the high veldt landscape.

They will be cast in bronze by Melbourne sculptor Louis Laumen who created the statue of Saint Mary MacKillop that stands outside St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney and the “early game” Aussie Rules sculpture at the MCG.

Mr Haynes said the Boer War was the first time that Australian and New Zealand soldiers, later to be known as Anzacs following the Gallipoli campaign, fought together for King and country.

The memorial website which somehow manages to look older than the Boer War itself has an enthusiastic ticker running.

All that I’ve said above should not detract from the sacrifice of those who answered their nation’s call. The memorials are ideally about remembering loss, not glorifying the conflicts.

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Perfidious Albion

johnboy said :

Ah, good old England-and-Pom-bashing. The only country in the world that we’re still allowed to criticise.

Far from it. I’m rather proud to be descended from the most dangerous bastards to ever walk the planet.

The Irish when they’ve been on the drink, and it’s run out early?

davo101 said :

The Germans?

Amateurs who never understood the trouble they were getting themselves into.

“The truth is that compared to the Brits, the Nazis you’re always yammering about were a gang of eighth-grade stoners who ran around spraypainting swastikas on school property. The Nazis lasted one decade; the Brits quietly ran their extermination programs for three hundred years, and to this day they wouldn’t even think of feeling guilty about it. Wouldn’t cross their minds.”

http://exiledonline.com/when-pigs-fly-and-scold-brits-lecturing-sri-lanka/

johnboy said :

Far from it. I’m rather proud to be descended from the most dangerous bastards to ever walk the planet.

The Germans?

Ah, good old England-and-Pom-bashing. The only country in the world that we’re still allowed to criticise.

Far from it. I’m rather proud to be descended from the most dangerous bastards to ever walk the planet.

Pork Hunt said :

What was wrong with spending summer in Lismore?

It has the approximate temperature and humidity of Beelzebub’s armpit.

Pork Hunt said :

What was wrong with spending summer in Lismore?

I spent my summers as a kid living in Lismore. Never been back ever since….

Now if we were talking about Lennox head.

Hahahahah….my family are dairy and sugar cane farmers from the Northern Rivers. I grew up around Evans Head, Woodburn, Ballina, Lismore and Lennox Head, and there are literally hundreds of LSWCHP’s up around there, if you know what I mean. 🙂

Evans Head for me, and I know what you mean about Lismore. Being inland and down in the valley it ends up like the Black Hole of Calcutta in summer.

Pork Hunt said :

What was wrong with spending summer in Lismore?

Before air con?

What was wrong with spending summer in Lismore?

poetix said :

Incidentally, for most of the Boer War, it would have been Queen and country, I think.

To correct myself, the dates for this Boer War were October 1899 until May 1902. Queen Victoria died 22 January 1901, so she wasn’t sovereign for most of this one. The first one was totally her own, though.

So the sculptor has done saints, footy and soldiers. All he needs is a Bradman and he’ll have the perfect resume.

Incidentally, for most of the Boer War, it would have been Queen and country, I think, Mr Haynes.

Fascinating post. JB is on fire at the moment! (I don’t mean that in a quelling the Boer by burning their houses sort of sense.)

Tetranitrate3:12 pm 11 Dec 12

“The memorials are ideally about remembering loss, not glorifying the conflicts.”
This really needs to be the philosophy behind it, particularly for this war.

The (second) anglo-boer war was a war of greed and aggression against two sovereign republics by a globe spanning empire that was ‘won’ through a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against civilians.
We need to remember those who fought in the service of their country for sure, but Australia’s involvement in this war isn’t something to be proud of.

Holden Caulfield said :

“The memorial website which somehow manages to look older than the Boer War itself…”

Holy crap, you got that right, haha!

+1

Holden Caulfield2:56 pm 11 Dec 12

“The memorial website which somehow manages to look older than the Boer War itself…”

Holy crap, you got that right, haha!

Holden Caulfield2:55 pm 11 Dec 12

Shoot straight ya bastards. Don’t make a mess of it!

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