ANZAC Day 2024

Personal history, a song & a truce with the ABC

Australia’s ABC News, with their focus on ideology over factual reporting has never failed to feed my anger and my journalistic mill.

I was therefore gobsmacked to get a call from the ABC to provide songs for their 2024 ANZAC morning radio special in the state of NSW. Was this an olive branch? Is the tide turning? Am I off their blacklist?

The truth is that most in the ABC have a good heart. I’ll bet that most agree with biological truth, stopping the medicalisation of children and saving women’s spaces and sports. Most probably also agree that free speech is a good thing. Unfortunately, they’re afraid to speak out because, well, the walls have ears and the mortgage needs to be paid.

Like any organisation that goes ‘bad’, it’s not the sensible majority that causes the rot. In the case of the ABC, it’s the idealogues in recruitment and news who’ve spoiled the whole damn box.

These spoilers, like most types in other infected organisations, are usually based in the big cities. With heads full of dreamy ideals and 1980’s philosophy, they are far removed from nature, family responsibility and the circle of life that drives most people on the planet. Just as Jackson Brown said in his marvelous song, Before the Deluge:

“Some of them they were dreamers, some of them were fools
Who were making plans, and dreaming of the future.”

I am incredibly lucky to live away from the nearest big city in the small coastal Illawarra town of Thirroul. For those not familiar with Australian geography, the Illawarra region is around 100 kilometers south of Sydney.

Between a magnificent escarpment and beautiful beaches, we have our small share of ‘dreamers and fools’. They mainly follow instructions from the big smoke 100km north for their activism.

For most though, ideas from the city are far removed from the coastal life of working, fishing, surfing and family.

It’s with this is mind that I thank ABC Illawarra for the opportunity to sing possibly my last ever song to an audience of thousands. To have it played throughout ABC NSW on ANZAC Day was wonderful.

The song
Written by Bruce Springsteen, ‘Brothers Under the Bridge’ tells of the struggles soldiers have after war. Unable to find a place in family or broader society, many find connection through living rough with others who’ve experienced the same horrors - the ‘brothers’. There’s brothers in every country and Australia is no exception.

Only the 4th last line has been changed to reflect Australia and New Zealand’s National Day where we honour those who died protecting our lifestyle, our beliefs and our country - ANZAC Day.