Colin F. Jones

~ Australia: The Great South Land ~
EXTRACT

Although the headlines were mostly gloomy in England, most people were in fact better off and freer than ever before. All of the Western World was surging forward, and Britain’s ‘Decline’ was partly an illusion, created by the fact that her progress although real, was not as fast as that made by other countries such as Japan, Germany and France.

A rising standard of living fuelled the ‘swinging sixties’, as Britain seemed for a time the centre of international fashion, pop music, and a new youth culture based on the relatively high wages that young people could now earn.

There were many related social changes, notably an increasing ‘permissive’ experimental attitude to sexual relations (helped of cause by the introduction of the contraceptive pill) and a steep rise in divorces, which became a long-term trend.

Significant also was that Britain was becoming a multi-racial and multi-cultural society. Starting with the West Indians in the 1950’s, immigrants of mostly Afro-Asian background settled in the Cities in much larger numbers than earlier groups, such as the Jewish and Polish immigrants, often supplying a demand for cheap labour.

Often widespread was prejudice against the newcomers although attempts to exploit it by the politicians and fascist style parties had little success. By the 1990’s individual black people would be playing significant roles in public life, but complete acceptance would still not be achieved and educational and job opportunities would still be distant prospects.

Around the world the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church was being severely diminished. They had already decided that their separatist ways had to be mended. That is the recognition of the beliefs of others.

The Pope, Paul VI led the last three (of four) sessions (1963-65) of Vatican II in promulgation of laws that promised to strengthen the ecumenical movement as well as the Roman Catholic Church. In Historic trips he visited the Holy land and India (1964) the United Nations and New York City (1965), and was planning to go to Turkey in 1967.

In 1966 he received the archbishop of Canterbury in the first official meeting in 400 years between the primates of the Anglican and Roman churches. Perhaps the gulf between them was seen as a contributing defect for the diminishing flocks.

Following the Vatican council the Pope formed commissions to implement the new legislation. His term in office had brought forth such encyclicals as Ecclesiamsuam (his church) in 1964, which stressed the importance of the church for man’s salvation and in which the need for renewal (aggiornamento) of the church was indicated; here the pledge was also made to join with non Catholics to defend human brotherhood. In this same message atheism and communism were denounced.

The encyclical Mysterium Fidei (the mystery of faith) in 1965 reaffirmed the traditional teaching about the Eucharist. An encyclical in June 1967 would reinstate the validity of the rule for celibacy of priests while granting permission to marry to Deacons of the church. In 1965 he named 27 new cardinals in 1965 and would name the same number in 1967, to bring the membership of the sacred college of cardinals to a record 120.

The mission proclaimed for himself, by Pope Paul, was to bring peace to the world; another dreamer, sincere though he may have been.

The affirmation of man’s right, derived from God, to worship as he believes is considered by many to be the most important statement to emerge from Vatican II. The use of the vernacular instead of Latin in parts of the mass and the sacraments was adopted in 1963.
In 1966 the Holy See issued several decrees effecting Catholic life. The universal “Catholic” law requiring abstinence from meat on Fridays was made subject to national conferences of bishops. In the USA the restriction was lifted except for Fridays of Lent.

New laws on ‘mixed marriages’ permitted a Catholic to be married before a non-Catholic clergyman without penalty.

So now laws that applied yesterday did not apply today, demonstrating the inconsistency of church doctrine, within a religion that to be fully acceptable had to be stable and unbending despite the Devils wind. Obviously it was more important to ensure a high number of followers than it was to continue with what had always been strictly applied laws.

One could compare this to the reactions of the Retuned Services League when their numbers began to reduce. But that is another story, but the “club” comparisons are quite similar.

None of these laws, these changes, had anything to do with God. They had to do with the power of the Pope, a living man. The index of forbidden books no longer had the force of ecclesiastical law. To strengthen the church the Pope gave more power to the bishops in granting dispensations.

The effect of the Vatican council could be seen in national actions. The bishops of the United States formed the national conference of Catholic Bishops and initiated studies to renew the liturgy. In 1965 the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches agreed to nullify excommunications made in the 11th century.

If the Catholic Church continues to dismantle it’s past, thought I, then it may well lose its future, and if it doesn’t, will not have a future to lose.

Religion it seems is a state of mind, affiliated with the state of time. Because it demands obedience, its following will be far greater in times of turmoil and despair, than when the standards of living are affluent. Like the self-centred boy who turns only to his brother, when there is no one else.

The Australian destroyer Voyager sank of Jervois Bay at about midnight on 12th February 1964 after a collision with aircraft carrier Melbourne. Three were listed as dead and 79 were missing in the HMAS Voyager, there were 239 survivors. The Voyager, a destroyer was 3,500 tons, the Melbourne 19,000 tons.

The destroyer was cut in two and sank in between 600 and 2,000 fathoms of sea, to drift well out to sea with many trapped inside her hull. Included in the known dead was the Captain D.H. Stevens, 42, of Sydney.

The Treasurer J.B. Renshaw introduced in the legislative Assembly a bill to provide for off course totaliser System throughout NSW, the opposition Liberal leader R.W. Askin supporting it in principal, but he attacked the government for not increasing penalties against illegal SP betting as recommended by Justice Kinsella, who had conducted a royal commission on off-course betting.

With the arrival of topless gowns, came the Beatles to Australia, and teenage girls waited from the early hours at Kingsford Smith airport for their aircraft to arrive. Their first concert was at the stadium on 18th June 1964.

Communist elements were active forming ‘peace rallies’ in many parts of the nation and one in particular was in April in Ipswich Queensland. Mr W. Llewelliyn and Mrs Ivy Scott of the Australian Communist party, walking alongside a future Australian Governor General, Bill Hayden, led the peace rally.

Not only was this ‘communist’ Bill Hayden to become Governor general but also chief of the armed forces. Later he was photographed outside the UPA hall surrounded by men with official Communist party ‘Marshal’ armbands, and alongside him the former Senator Morrow proudly wearing his Lenin medal.

Earlier in 1957, Mick Young was photographed under the national flag leading a contingent of the ‘World federation of democratic youth’ into the Lenin Stadium in Moscow.

It is perhaps ironic that these people would command important historical official positions in Australia’s democratic society in years to come. Who in fact could contemplate that the ‘freest country in the world might one day become a ‘controlled society’ run by people refusing to take the oath, members of the ‘Fabian Society’, some self confessed communists, others with obvious Communist associations. But by then the word Communist will have become unfashionable.

November 10th Conscription

The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies outlined sweeping changes in Australia’s defence program for the next three years. The changes would cost an additional 212 million pounds over current commitments This included a limited call-up of 20-year olds for a two year service at home or abroad and extensive re-equipment of all three services.

Ballots of birth dates to choose the 4,200 youths needed each year and the 6,900, to be drafted annually from 1966, was the plan for conscription. Those not selected would be deferred indefinitely. Conscription was introduced on November 10

The university students were engaged in angry scenes regarding aboriginal rights led by Charles Perkins, a 29-year-old part aboriginal doing third year arts at Sydney University. Professor J.P. Baxter praised the students for their actions in investigating alleged discrimination against country aborigines. They had not yet aligned themselves with the conscription issue, but it would not be very long before they did.

The Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies announced in the House of Representatives on 29th April 1965 that the government had decided to send the first Battalion Royal Australian Regiment to South Vietnam, following a request from the South Vietnamese Government, made in close consultation with the United States.

He stated that a take-over of South Vietnam would be a direct threat to Australia and all countries of South East Asia. I didn’t know it at the time, but this statement would prove in
time to be ‘bullshit!”

©Copyright circa 2003 by Colin F. Jones