“At the centre of the Sanctuary is the Stone of Remembrance. This is a marble stone sunk below the pavement, so that visitors must bow their heads to read the inscription on it:
Greater Love Hath No Man
The inscription is part of a verse from the Bible (John 15:13) “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”. The Stone is aligned with an aperture in the roof of the Sanctuary so that a ray of sunlight falls on the word ‘Love’ on the Stone of Remembrance at exactly 11 a.m. on 11 November, marking the hour and day of the Armistice which ended World War I.”
“Then there’s the Coke incident when they were presenting a worldwide concept to Coca-Cola in Atlanta. As Watson recalls it, the two shuffled to the stage and Jo started tuning a guitar but were interrupted by McCann’s global creative director asking who their target audience was. “Stretching to his full five foot four, Mo said in a laconic mutter, fair to the microphone for all to hear: ‘Any cunt with a mouth’. The president of Coke thought this was the most precise targeting he’d heard all day,” said Watson.”
“I first heard this when they supported David Bowie in the early 1980s at “VFL Park”. They upstaged David Bowie.? I kid you not.” - Youtube comment written to signify the importance of Australian culture over imports from other countries.
I don’t miss Australia. Nostalgia and sentimentality are crippling. How are you supposed to enjoy life when you’re constantly thinking about the past? You can’t! Eeeeeeek. But! What they are good for is entertainment. You know, looking back, grinning, chortling, putting life into perspective, etc…
Yesterday I revelled in such entertaining nostalgia for the mother country through the cult Australian 80’s classic, Dogs In Space. Have you seen it?
If a) Yes, please read sub-section c).
If b) No, please read sub-section d).
c) You have? Great! Then you know what I’m talking about right? What a great country to call home! Those brooding Melbournites spilling out of a late 70’s house in Richmond gurgling with drugs and music and ideas - enjoying their youth and shunning the banality of life. My goodness! You definitely don’t need to be in New York City to be cool with a heroin addiction. But for all they did they ended up either dead or fucked up in some way. Possibly even got married and moved to Northcote to start a family. Are you one of these people? If so, email me and tell me what happened. I gotta know.
d) You fool! How could you? Wait! How rude of me. You’re not a fool. Just misguided. Sheltered, if you will. I know what that’s like - before yesterday I was just like you. Wandering about in this world without context or satisfaction. Do what you will to remove the shackles of naivety. You’ll feel all the better for it.
P.S. Dogs was directed by Richard Lowenstein. He also directed this music video for another great Aussie cultural export. Until they made a second album that is.
