I remember thinking this as I sat in the reading room of the Australian embassy in Rangoon and read about Whitlam's dismissal on this day in 1975. And return I did, as I did again in 1986 from my last overseas job in Greece and Saudi Arabia, since learning from past mistakes has never been my strong suit.
These days those memories are overshadowed by the memories of the horrors of "the Great War" when the eleventh day of the eleventh month comes around. Having watched "All Quiet on the Western Front" countless times, both in its original black-and-white and later in its colour version, in English and in German, I now quietly read the book by Erich Maria Remarque which was required reading when I was still attending my eighth year at the "Volksschule" in Germany in the 1950s.
You may prefer to listen to the audiobook. My apologies about the intrusive commercials but that's the price one pays for free uploads.
As for Whitlam's dismissal, I guess a repeat now seems unlikely which is rather a pity as we seem once again be stuck with a Labor government.
