Clearly there is "unfinished business" at the Australian War Memorial to bring it up to contemporary expectations of its role in reflecting our war history. I was stunned to learn that two Indigenous "gargoyles" are being restored as representative of the Australian history narrative (Sunday Canberra Times, June 7).
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Gargoyles are part of a Gothic tradition in architecture from the 13th century that came into being as waterspouts to throw water clear of the building. As they do not serve that purpose in the AWM's courtyard, they should be scrapped altogether as suggested by Aboriginal elders, or displayed inside the memorial, saving $1.6million towards another purpose, such as acknowledgement of indigenous soldiers in foreign wars.
Lorraine W. Ovington, Fisher
I learn the memorial will retain its "Aboriginal gargoyles": good – they document how Australians once perceived Indigenous people. But I also learn Brendan Nelson stubbornly refuses to recognise that frontier conflict is a part of the story of Australian military history that the memorial tells.
The memorial's own historians have no expertise in this area and I know from experience the pressures its staff feel to comply with a director's known wishes.
Dr Nelson offers the traditional limp excuse that the National Museum is instead the home to this subject. But why can't such an important subject be treated in both museums?
And the director of the richest museum in the country claims it has "no resources" to deal with the subject – just like it once could not tell the story of peacekeeping, Afghanistan or Iraq. But it rightly found the resources to do so for those subjects.
Dr Nelson and the memorial lack the will and the courage to acknowledge and tell the truth about Australia's military history.
Professor Peter Stanley, Honest History president, Dickson
Exclusivity doesn't pay
"Made me cry like a baby" Annabel Crabb wrote ("Recovering from a life lived backwards", Sunday Focus, June 7). Indeed it might, when formative years are totally dedicated to one exclusive theme. It is specially so when it can be so unnecessary and counterproductive; negating the fulfilment of a life genuinely satisfying and socially productive.
Other Olympic gold medallists have shown that such draconian malpractice isn't necessary. David Thiele is one: David edged out fellow Australian swimmer John Monckton to win gold in Melbourne and, while a medical student, won gold again at the next Olympics in Rome by defeating US swimmers. Thiele immediately moved on to a career as a leading surgeon and medical administrator.
Whatever the field of endeavour, the price of supremacy by exclusion from life's wider experience is too high.
Colin Samundsett, Farrer
Semantic niche
My theory, contrary to that of Steven Hurren (Sunday Canberra Times, Letters, June 7), is that if you never use a word that will make a reader search for a dictionary, you will use a very restricted vocabulary.
Anyway, dictionaries take some time to catch up with usage. Has Mr Hurren tried to find the verb "grandfather"? "Churning" now refers to turnover that has ulterior motives, such as a parking fee set up, or investment advisers receiving commissions by encouraging investors to churn their shares.
It has a semantic niche that is not filled by "turnover".
P.Edwards, Holder
I'm a pedant with the best of them, but Stephen Hurren (Letters, June 7) isn't quite right with his view that writers shouldn't use words that cause readers to leap for the dictionary. Yes, plain, simple English is usually the best way to write, but if we literally (pardon the pun) threw out the dictionary we would never learn any new words.
Worse, in ignoring our dictionary, we perpetuate the misuse of words – and it's all because we are too lazy, or think ourselves too smart, to check the dictionary before we write.
Here are just two examples: "regime" which has become common usage in place of "regimen", and "fulsome". In fact, the latter, over about a century, has actually come full circle, from meaning "wholehearted", to the opposite, that is, "over the top" and back again to "wholehearted".
The dictionary should be the most used book in our library so we can always ensure we choose not just the best word, but the best simple word – which also may be a new word to us. And the other book that should be equally well thumbed is the thesaurus (so we avoid using the same old verbs and adjectives over and over again and also as a means of finding new, simple words).
Eric Hunter, Cook
Exercise and NAPLAN
Recently published longitudinal research from Melbourne University indicates an academic advantage in attending independent secondary schools compared with public schools (Sunday Focus, June 7). Although the study was not designed or intended to uncover causation, the author suggested potential contributors might be more resources, higher expectations, better teachers and stronger discipline.
Interestingly here in the ACT the Lifestyle of our Kids (LOOK) study, we did carry out such a trial in primary schools. Our study, conducted through the ANU and University of Canberra, (American Journal of Public Health, 2012, Vol 102) showed that when quality physical education was introduced into ACT public primary schools between grades 3 and 5, NAPLAN numeracy assessments improved 11 points more than in schools without the program. In a separate study (Paediatric Exercise Science, 2012, Vol 24) we showed that the higher the average fitness of the kids , the higher their NAPLAN scores in all areas.
Our results may throw some light on the Melbourne Uni findings. If physical education and sport programs are better resourced in independent schools, this may contribute to better teaching and discipline, and better concentration in class.
Dick Telford, Forrest
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