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FAIR DINKUM AUSTRALIAN RATINGS RSL FDR 1Star 
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"Support Is Not Forthcoming" 
- Maj Gen Crews, RSL National President * * * Our Open Letter of 20 March ’08 - By Registered Post RD 25937221: Major General William J Crews AO (Retd) National President of the RSL Returned & Services League of Australia Cnr Constitution Avenue & Blamey Crescent Campbell ACT 2601 PO Box 303 Canberra ACT 2601 Re: Australians of Arabia – The Movie: with the RSL’s involvement we can out do the Poms & Yanks Dear Major General Crews In just a few years, '2012, it will be the 50th Anniversary of the David Lean - 7 Academy Award Winner - "Lawrence of Arabia". And that's not far away from '2016 - '2018, the WWI 100th Anniversary of the real events. That means major Hollywood Film and TV production companies are now working on their blockbusters and remakes about Lawrence of Arabia. Again, blatantly ignoring the historical facts and the true heroes, the Australian Light Horse. As you are well aware, in early '1916 it was the allied force spearheaded by the ALH, that began pushing the Ottoman Empire back out of Egypt all the way to kicking them right out of the Middle East by 1 October '1918. The historical evidence clearly shows the greatest military victory in modern history was executed by uncouth Australians, thereby making possible the new State of Israel. Not Lawrence, who was 'created' by an American journalist after the War. The time has come. We have a heavy obligation to stop making excuses and do something fair dinkum about restoring the honour of the Billjim. Indeed, by coming up with our own blockbuster, "Australians of Arabia - The Movie" - that will outdo the Poms and Yanks. Some 10 years ago we approached your predecessor, Major General Peter Phillips AO MC (Retd). At that time there was little chance of changing the status quo. At one point back then Bruce Ruxton, your long-serving president in Victoria, basically replied to us with "Bloody Lawrence …what can we do?" Major General Peter Phillips' email: From: rslnhq@bigpond.com You are also well aware that up to now the problem has been that the Establishment dictates the status quo. The official line has been that we are not allowed to draw the conclusion from the historical evidence, that the Australian Light Horse were the spearheading force, and that without their specialized skills and background, the Zionist movement may well have had to use one of their other candidate locations for the new state of Israel, like South America. The reasons would seem to be: 1. That the traditionally much more powerful American, British and Jewish lobbies just cannot entertain the idea of giving the credit to the uncouth Australians, that they were at best just one of the brigades of the allied force. 2. It has been very convenient in this preference to have the Lawrence of Arabia myth created by Lowell Thomas after the war (remembering he was sent there during the War to find something to get the Isolationist American public interested) further blur the true impact of the Australians. And all are quite accepting that the myth has now become historical fact - the Australians were not even there, as per the David Lean film. 3. It was just such a good story / film - that it is human nature to let it become historical fact. 4. That therefore the Australian Establishment as a minor subservient player (and lovers of a fantastic adventure story as much as anyone else) has all these years gone along with this official line. In the process relegating any credit to the Australians to the usual associations and a few monuments, and minor mentions when we teach history to our children. Not helped that the Light Horse also gets blurred by the need, so early on, to deflect blame for the Gallipoli fiasco by successfully duping the Australian people that we should make this defeat the most important moment in our history. Because there was supposedly nothing else around to trump it. Now. Are our leaders, 'still', quite comfortable to let a new generation of Australian children sit through the coming Hollywood Centenary Blockbusters? One of which will win the Oscar for Best Film. Including a Lawrence of Arabia remake. And we will put out our latest Gallipoli rendition, as usual, mainly for domestic consumption. So our children can sit there and let it all seep into their brains, re-affirmation: "The Yanks and Lawrence dominate again. And oh, we minor Australians were over there too, we lent a hand in a few places, and it was amazing how the Aussies pulled off that Gallipoli retreat..." Equals - impregnated into their brains - The Yanks are the major world players - Australia will never be a major player, we're too small and far away - we could never make a movie about war, about world affairs, that wins the Oscar. That's the way we are brought up. That's the way our leaders teach us, what they teach us to think about ourselves, the example they set, the role model, our place in the world ...peripheral. But what if... What if... What if the RSL gets behind Australians of Arabia - The Movie What if we uncouth Australians, turn the tables, steal the thunder, what if four WWI Epics are nominated for Best Picture, and we outdo the Poms and Yanks! That's the answer to "Bloody Lawrence …what can we do?" - "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." The funny thing is that it works both ways. Even with the power of the Establishment, a good blockbuster movie still trumps every time. If our AOA Movie is good enough, as in sheer entertainment and telling a good story in an epic way, we can reverse the tables. Then as sure as night follows day, Australians of Arabia will get morphed into the history pages we teach our children, a whole chapter, like they were always there. It's the only way the truth can ever surface - through another movie. But recently there are signs the Establishment is becoming 'enlightened' - even at the ABC, refer their News report of 29iv08, "Pratt funds Light Horse commemoration in Israel". That report stops short of spelling out the obvious 'natural progression', and highlighted the relationship between another of your predecessors and famous Light Horse supporter, Major General WB 'Digger' James AC MBE MC (Retd). We even have a letter of support from media mogul, Rupert Murdoch's mother, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, particularly as her Uncle, Lt. Col. Nowell de Lancey Forth, was commander of the 3rd Battalion Camel Corps. The timing is now right for the truth to come out. In a big way. If we can now get fair dinkum national support from the RSL it is going to make our mission a lot less impossible. Firstly, it will make it a heck of a lot easier to approach and attract sponsors and investors. Then on a more practical level we would be hoping to do AOA shows at RSL Clubs around the country. In some ways these would be similar to the "Cooooee" recruiting for WWI almost a century ago. These shows would have the aim of educating the general public and recruiting supporters. Because there are so many RSL Clubs we would envisage each one setting up their own AOA Brigade, holding say monthly meetings about ways to assist the overall goals, including suggestions for improving our AOA Movie Screenplay. And put on regular AOA shows. The format could include family history stories from locals who had ancestors in the Light Horse, short plays, films, music and poems from that era, etc. In some areas even picnics in which children could see real Walers with genuine uniformed horsemen. Local AOA RSL Brigades could be invaluable in spreading the message. Just putting our AOA Bumper Stickers and Magnetic Signs (as above) on their cars would be enormously helpful in getting us to first base with national attention. The fact is, RSL members around Australia are an untapped resource never before recognized, and their mobilization will be extremely powerful, and for the ultimate in noble causes. As soon as possible we will take AOA public (IPO) giving these hard workers the reward of taking up options in the new public company. And of course we will need an apt Chairman of our Board of Directors, and that should be the National President of the RSL. Ideally we would like to set up an AOA Home Base / Headquarters at one of the local branches. Ramsgate RSL, near Botany Bay, would be perfect. But again they would be unlikely to be interested unless we have support at the top. In addition to local efforts we hope to get on the road soon a national AOA Promotion Tour. It is envisaged to be a Great Ride just like the Light Horse did some 92 years ago right around the country. And then on ships for the Centennial Celebrations retracing the steps of the Billjim - Cairo by '2016, Jerusalem by December '2017, and finally Damascus, 6:30am 1 October '2018 - where we will get the drop on the Lawrence sycophants. As for the screenplay of our AOA Movie we know we have to be very careful. Our No. 1 objective is to come up with a script that will attract backers, who can be confident of getting their money back. A story that will outdo the original '1962 Lawrence of Arabia film, and the coming Hollywood blockbusters. At the same time it has to be effective in clearly showing what the Light Horse really achieved. But of course there are other sensitive issues where we have to tread lightly in the script. The politics surrounding Israel. Though, it is again appalling that the 60th Anniversary of the creation of Israel has just been celebrated (14 May) with a special visit by President George Bush, but no mention of who made it possible. Prime Minister Rudd, and yourself, should have been at the top of the invitation list. Unfortunately the PM seems oblivious to the historical facts, too. It is just shameful that none of our leaders have the guts to speak up for the Billjim and say "Hey, wait a minute this has gone on for long enough, we're not wearing this any longer, our political leaders need to have a look at some old newspapers (London Daily Telegraph or New York Times) dated just after 2 November '1917 (Battle of Beersheba and the Balfour Declaration) and 1 October '1918". Also we don't want to glorify war, or the Australians over the Turks, or one religion over another. Our script should reflect the reality that wars are started by the rich, a fight over land or resources, that the combat soldiers on the front lines of both sides are mainly conscripted from the lower classes. And that few of the political leaders (e.g. Bush, Howard, Rudd), who expound such strong convictions in the fight against the proverbial 'infidels', send sons and fathers (and now daughters and mothers) of these families into harm's way, but are not prepared to send their own children. (If it was a law that they had to, maybe they would try more diplomacy.) The point is being brought home now with more combat deaths recently - the picture of Lance Corporal Jason Marks and his two little children on the front page of the Daily Telegraph (28iv08). Will his death be a waste too? For nothing. Slipping from everyone's memory, but his family's. Just like so many Billjim families were ruined, with the added insult of all the credit going to the Hollywood Lawrence and 'allied forces'. Not even recognized by their descendants, especially in the way we teach history to our children. 
Lance Corporal Jason Marks and his children - modernday Billjim (Photo only) As a country we really need to have a long hard look at how we remember our vets and what funding is provided for the families of those modernday Billjim that have fallen (particularly when more than 50% of the Australian population think the reasons these soldiers are put in harm's way do not add up). And once we get that positive support we will go ahead with the above mentioned plan to float AOA as a publicly listed incorporated Australian Company, so that every Australian can share in this mission, with a percentage of our profits going to a special AOA Billjim Foundation for our Vets and their families, like the children of Lance Corporal Jason Marks. Can we make any more excuses for not having a go for the Billjim. Can the RSL say, "This is just a bit sticky we don't get involved in something like this, best of British luck with your endeavours Peter...". Because it will be extremely unfortunate if we have to go ahead alone, making painstakingly slow progress as we come up to the Centenary, begin to get some attention, become 'fashionable', and it is known that back in the crucial early stages, we again got rejected by the RSL. Things are just way to serious now to just let it go. We are running out of time and way behind the Poms and Yanks. Maybe there might even be a mutiny from fair dinkum Australians, the rank and file RSL members, who could benefit from their special AOA shareholding, like the original NRMA members when they went public years ago (a bit like Yahoo shareholders miffed by a major loss with the rejection of the Microsoft offer). 
Of course there is a lot more to it and much of it is being put up on our AOA website (which has been archived for all time by the National Library of Australia's Pandora Program). In closing there is no better way to put in words how important your assistance will be than measuring our progress by how many Australian children in the future study the following poem in school along with those of Wordsworth, Shakespeare, et al Actually, on a personal note AOA's Pete, can identify with 'Bill' in this poem (if only he could find a 'Jim'). He has sunk all he has into AOA, credit card debt, you name it... He and his little 5 year old daughter, have even been kicked out of the family house, forced to live in a campervan by his bigoted matriarchal mother and greedy siblings (after the family estate) who have somehow been successful in getting Pete declared mentally unsound, for being so stupid as to spend all his time working on projects like the
We hope you can find the time for us to come to your office in Canberra in our campa and discuss further the idea of not just outdoing the Poms and Yanks, but more importantly getting the Billjim, and their families, their rightful long overdue national, and international, recognition. Sincerely 
Peter & Tara Hogan cc: by Registered Post - State RSL Presidents & Branches: NSW - Mr Don Rowe OAM - RD 28831987; Vic - Major General David McLachlan AO (Retd) - RD 28831988; Qld - Mr Doug Formby - RD 28831989; WA - Mr William Gaynor OAM RFD - RD 28831990; SA - Mr Jock Statton OAM; ACT - Mr Gary Brodie OAM; Tas - Mr Tony Scott OAM JP; [NT apparently doesn't rate!] - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - Dr Brendan Nelson - Leader of the Opposition - Alan Griffin - Minister for Veterans' Affairs - Stephen Smith - Minister for Foreign Affairs - Martin Ferguson - Minister for Tourism The Tard Reply: "Support Is Not Forthcoming"
- Maj Gen Crews, RSL National President Note: It took the RSL 3 months to send "Support is not forthcoming" - the Billjim can stay buried in the dust of what is now called Israel as far as Major General Crews is concerned. An office charged with leading on the idea of "Lest We Forget". Even the Australian War Memorial, the head of which deserves his own Wanted poster, for promoting the Lawrence of Arabia myth as fact ahead of the our own Australian ancestors. 
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