ON THE WALLABY- 19th December 2006

” Destiny deals the cards, but we play them” - Bernard Moitessier, one of the giants of modern day sailing and author of the wonderful book “The Long Way”

THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES- HOW THAT PIECE OF PAPER IS STILL AFFECTING US NEARLY A CENTURY LATER

I have just finished reading The Great War (McMillan), written by the Australian journalist Les Carlyon and, as with his previous book Gallipoli, I have emerged a wiser, sadder and more angry man.

In both these books, Carlyon takes us behind the scenes and away from the bits that tend to get glorified and instead takes us into the personalities of the people involved, on all sides.

It is not an easy read as such, for whilst its sheer size of some 856 pages makes it a heavy book in the physical sense, it contains statistic after statistic and I stand in awe at just how much research he must have put into it.

More of those later but first let me answer the question asked in this pars introduction.

At the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, where the victors carved up the German and Ottoman (Turkish) Empires, the more I read of it and observe events in current and recent times, the more it is apparent that much of the world destabilising events lead directly back to that agreement.

Examples:-

• the French taking Syria and Alexandretta

• the British took Palestine (and under the Balfour Agreement made earlier, gave the green light to the now state of Israel) and took Iraq out of what was then Mesopotamia. Also, under the Sykes- Peko Accord, struck by the British and French governments in the later stages of WW1, the Arabs under King Feisal were sold out, even by Lawrence of Arabia (a factor that played heavily on him in later life) and their promised homeland of Palestine was never given them.

• Japan took Germany’s colonial islands north of the Equator and under Prime Minister Billy Hughes vehement insistence, Australia gained as a Protectorate, German New Guinea, later to become part of Papua New Guinea, a nation Australia later short shifted into it’s independence before it was ready but that story is for another day.

• As Les Carlyon also notes in The Great War, a young Vietnamese kitchen hand named Nguyen Ai Quoc gave a proposal to the powers that would have seen self determination for Vietnam from France. This was rebutted but he did indeed arrive again on the world stage as a man known as Ho Chi Minh and in his lifetime drubbed both the French and Americans!

So then, the summary?

If France had not gained Syria and its withdrawal from there creating present day Lebanon, if King Feisal had been given, as promised, Palestine and if Nguyen Ai Quoc had seen his Vietnamese proposal accepted, how different would be today’s world?

We would have not had the Lebanese Wars, the continual battle between Israel and the Palestininans, the Vietnam War would not have occurred and much of the Middle East, because it was drawn on ethnic not political lines before Versailles, would still have had it’s share of bloodshed I am sure but it would not have seen conditions such as to allow Bin Laden and his ilk stride the world stage.

But then, oil is a wonderful thing and it certainly does strange things to many people!

And why was I mad or wild? I simply could not believe the incompetance and not only arrogance but ignorance of some of the British commanders, Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig in particular who's actions cost the lives of so many of the cream of the youth of Australia, New Zealand and Canada and he couldn't have given a stuff!

Hell it was bad enough that his ineptitude and that of those below him cost so many British lads their lives but the war was essentially a family dust up between the cousins Kaiser Wilhem, King George V and Tzar Nicholas.

My greatesty regret is that so many of todays leaders seemingly seem to know so little of history.

JUSTIN LANGER –“IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS PEOPLE DO THAT TELLS YOU ALL ABOUT THEM”

That was a great saying of my late father and I came to experience that first hand with international opening batsman Justin Langer a couple of years ago.

I had been selected to be “the auctioneer” in a series of TV commercials for the Commonwealth Bank and in the process, Australian cricketers Justin Langer and Damien Fleming were also to appear, as they say, as “talent”.

With the filming stretching over a couple of days, I was able to work with Justin close hand and came to regard him very highly, not only as a cricketer but also as a bloke.

As Dad’s saying intimated, it’s the little things people do that tell you all about them and Justin was no exception.

We were sitting down having lunch when one of the cameramen, a Kiwi, remarked to Justin that his dad was still sour on Australia generally, and Justin in particular, over how the Australian team had recently thumped New Zealand.

Justin looked up and said “Is that right? You’d better get him on the phone then”.

The cameraman was some what askance but at Justin’s insistence he did so.

Dad (let’s call him George), in Invercargill if my mind serves me correctly, answered and his son said “Dad, there’s a bloke here who would like to talk to you” and handed the mobile over to Justin.

Without missing a beat, Justin said “G’day George, Justin Langer here and I hear you’re a bit upset with me?”

Silence.

“Hello George, Justin Langer here”

The conversation then went on for about ten minutes and the cameraman reported the next day that Dad had now, in fact, become a Justin Langer fan, a statement that only put him at the end of the queue created by those who had witnessed the previous day’s discussion!

His departure from the international cricket scene, along with Shayne Warne, Glen McGrath and Damien Martyn will create a void but with the dearth of young talent coming along in the Australian ranks, it will give the young bloods a chance to prove themselves on the world stage and be worthy beneficiaries of that “baggy green cap”.

To all my OTW subscribers, here’s to a great 2007 and I welcome your input at any time.

Carpe diem

Tony

Tony Fountain

Professional Speaker, auctioneer and author

Sydney NSW Australia

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