No one likes being called out on SBY, but it comes with the territory. If he'd been called out on COPs then I'm sure it wouldn't have been a problem.
Everyone knows about social sickness, but when do you ever see more than a handful of people out in Bar Shed on a Tuesday, and none of them that I know have pulled a sicky on the Wednesday; they just get on with the hangover.
And perhaps if our leave and GDO system were better and didn't break it's own rules (tryied booking a GDO ten weeks in advance only to be told I had a rostered duty!?!?) then sickness wouldn't be a problem.