Howdy doody again from James and Karen Land. This blog has turned into a bit of a weekly thing of late, owing to the massive amount of stuff that we've been up to.

The first thing you will notice is that I have given the site a bit of a face lift. It is now a little cleaner, and a bit easier to edit which is the clincher for me, I am lazier than I am website proud I am afraid.

Now on my last update, I promised to expand a bit on my experience of ANZAC day. As I alluded to, I helped my Gramps, who is suffering failing sight, march in the ANZAC day parade. For those non Australian readers, ANZAC day is a commemoration of those who have served Australia in battle over the years. The date and the name of the day both come from the legendary battle of Gallipoli in World War I. I won't expand any further on the origins of the day, you can read about it here.

My grandfather served in the 13th field battery in Papua New Guinea in World War II. Those who know some history of the second world war will know that the jungles of PNG were one of the most demanding theatres of the war. The troops faced low provisions, gluey mud, stifling humidity, all manner of insects and disease and a brutal and determined Japanese opponent. It was a moving honour to be amongst men who had endured and survived an experience that most of us can't even begin to imagine.

The thing about the experience of marching with these blokes is it makes you think. We have all been driving in our cars and seen and old bloke struggling behind the wheel and thought of them as a doddering old man. It is easy to forget that when most of these blokes were our age, they were stuck in some foreign hell hole being shot at for the freedoms we enjoy today.

After the march, we went off to the traditional battalion lunch and AGM. Now I have been to a few AGM's in my time, and this one was both the different and the same to others I have been to. Different in the fact the same blokes have been having this AGM every year for over 60 years, so the election of committee positions is done quickly and without debate. If you are willing and capable, you're in!

When it came around to other business however, it started to become like any other heated AGM. Debate was being had and motions were moved about the disgraceful (sic) standard of marching amongst the troops. Never mind that most of the guys are in thier mid 80's, thier pride still allows them to get into arguments about what to do about not being able to march in time.