Brave and true farewell to Flint :: 07/06/2004
And now we return, as promised, to Middle Earth.
Last month we offered viewers these magnificent fridge magnets - specially minted by Media Watch to celebrate Cash for Comment Mark 2.
Our inspiration came from this misguided fan mail from the Minister for Veterans Affairs, Danna Vale, to the member for Struggle Street, Alan Jones
Stay Brave and True
-Danna Vale’s letter to Alan Jones, April 29 2004
But what was Mrs Vale's inspiration? Intensive google research by Media Watch can now reveal that, like Danna Vale herself, the words "brave and true" hail from the Shire.
They are a frequent motif in Hobbit songs, like the one that opened the program, and this drinking song in Peter Jackson's epic movie.
You can keep your fancy ales,
You can drink them by the flagon,
But the only brew for the brave and true,
Comes from the Green Dragon!
-from the movie “Lord of the Rings – Return of the King”
Of course Danna Vale's shire is the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney, where, as always in the Age of Men, there are sharp divisions of opinion.
The very day Danna Vale sent her fax comforting Alan in the face of Media Watch criticism - we received this email of Shire support from Kersti Elliott.
Maaaaaaaaaaaate! Youse are f*****' full tilt legends.
That's not the opinion of Professor David Flint who today called the media together for this announcement.
Flint: I propose to stand down from the position of chairman of the ABA at the end of this week.
I will be briefly on leave, and my resignation will take affect on the second of July.
Tragically, with David now vacating his luxurious ABA offices, we don't know where to send his magnet.
But your magnets are now making their way home to you in those stamped self addressed envelopes.
So, until next week, you know what to do.
Good night.
