The Things ANZACs Did Not Fight For

Brisbane, 1922
Brisbane, 1922

Just the other day a member of some Christian lobby group pointed out on Twitter that the ANZACs did not fight for an Australia that has gay marriage and Islamic migrants. Predictably this provoked a response, and even made it as far as the mainstream press.

Broadly speaking, if we are only talking about those that served in the two World Wars, he is right. However he left a few other things out of his list of stuff the ANZACs did not fight for. For the sake of a broader perspective, here are a few more.

The ANZACS did not fight for an Australia where:

  • Pokies existed
  • Sports could be a full time job
  • Most of the houses had indoor toilets
  • There was late night shopping
  • There was Sunday trading
  • Women could drink in public bars
  • Sustainable land management mattered
  • Polio was eradicated
  • There was a Liberal party
  • Calling someone a wog was unacceptable
  • ‘Mixed marriages’ was a phrase without meaning
  • Aboriginals had the vote
  • Public figures could embarrass themselves in 140 characters or less

It turns out that by Jim Wallace’s logic, there are a lot of things the ANZACs circa 1914-1945 did not fight for. It is funny how a culture can change over time.

That the world they grew up in had different values does not make their sacrifices less meaningful now. They fought for the country I happen to live in and am rather fond of, and that is more than enough to deserve respect, even if I read RSS feeds while they used to read newspapers. Co-opting ANZAC Day to further a narrow, divisive political stance is a gross piece of political opportunism.

The list is far from complete, if you can think of more, add them to the comments below.

Photo Credit: Panoramic view of the Brisbane central business district, ca. 1922 via State Library of Queensland, Australia’s photostream.

Weekend Morning Coffee at Amici Deli

Amici Deli Coffee and Breakfast
Amici Deli Coffee and Breakfast

A lot of cafes serve long blacks too hot, as if the shot is poured into boiling, rather than hot, water. It seems to be a matter of preference; I know more people who prefer their black coffee super hot than those who don’t.

One place that doesn’t kill a long black with heat is Amici Deli, a newish Italian deli on Gympie Road in Chermside. Amici specialises in imported Italian products and smallgoods. They also have a coffee machine, a few tables and chairs and use Di Bella beans.

Amici Deli offers some dine-in food as well, though its menu is not as extensive as most other cafes. Sandwiches, frittatas, quiche and arancini make up a lot of the selection currently, but they seem to be adding more options all the time.  There is also a decent selection of sweets, from cheesecake to cannoli.

TL;DR

  • Italian deli, with Italian goods
  • Makes good coffee
  • Serves good food
  • Easy to find parking
  • Friendly service

Amici Deli
http://amicideli.com.au/
Shop 6/725 Gympie Road
Chermside
Brisbane

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Takeaway Coffee for a Powerlifting Meet

Takeaway coffee at a Powerlifting Competition
Takeaway coffee at a Powerlifting Competition

Working on the desk at a powerlifting meet is a busy job. You need to ensure the lifters get their next attempts in before they run out of time, keep the lifters aware of the lifting order and make sure the result from each attempt is entered, and often all three at the same time. If you add announcing to this as well, it’s a real juggling act.  But at least the organisers will often buy you a coffee.

Metalwork from August
Metalwork from August

The 2011 Queensland Open Powerlifting and Bench Press Competition was held in Jindalee, at the Fitness First gym.  Due to a broken arm from August, I am currently unable to compete, at least if I want my squat total to be greater than 20kg. This is why I have helped with the desk and the spreadsheet at the last few events I’ve been to.

The Fitness First in Jindalee is located in the DFO shopping centre. There are not a lot of coffee options there, and considering the only other cafe I saw that morning was a Gloria Jeans, a Coffee Club long black was not to be sneered at.

It was as good as expected – the coffee was not burnt and it was drinkable. Most importantly of all, it helped me get through the whole competition. The free Subway sandwiches for lunch also helped.